Global shipments of connected televisions such as Google TV, or Apple Inc’s iTV, are expected to grow to about 200 million units in 2015, with strongest growth in the North American market, aided by faster Internet connections and more interactive applications, a Taipei-based research firm forecast yesterday.
This year, shipments of connected TVs are expected to reach 40 million units, so that about 20 percent of flat-panel TVs will have Internet access, WitsView, a research team from TrendForce Corp (集邦科技), said in its latest report.
In 2015, the penetration rate would increase to 65 percent, if the shipment target of 200 million units is realized, the report said.
According to WitsView’s definition, TVs with embedded Internet access features via Wi-Fi, or Ethernet technology are connected TVs.
“Internet access is becoming the must-have feature for high-end TVs now after a significant upgrade in transaction speed and related hardware,” WitsView analyst Linda Lin (林筱如) said in the report.
Lin expected TV chipmakers, digital content provides and telecom equipment suppliers to benefit from the growing number of connected TVs, though she did not provide the names of the companies.
People can watch digital content from the Internet, download applications or surf the Web on these TVs.
Sharing a similar outlook, another research firm, DisplaySearch, forecast that the shipment of connected TVs would grow to 119 million by 2014, accounting for 42 percent of all TVs shipped worldwide.
North America, Western Europe and China are set to be the fastest-growing markets, according to the Austin, Texas-based researcher.
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