Kiwis are driving the adoption of Smart TVs, being the third most used smart device in New Zealand homes behind smart phones and laptops, according to research by International Data Corporation (IDC) New Zealand.
With an adoption rate of 44 per cent, second only to South Korea, New Zealand’s uptake of the Smart TV is ahead of the global average of 39.2 per cent.
“It is a testament to New Zealanders tech savvy that both Smart and 4K TV adoption rates now exceed the worldwide average,” IDC New Zealand market analyst for client devices Alex Yuen said.
“It reinforces the underlying trend we have seen in recent years, where New Zealand’s overall digital uptake has been steadily growing, to the point where it as reach global parity, and is now quietly exceeding other countries in many areas.”
According to IDC, the main proponent driving Smart TV adoption has been the growing use of online video streaming services – with 33 per cent of New Zealanders streaming online video during 2018, up from 26 per cent in 2017.
As a result, owners of Smart TV’s value high-speed internet connections and high-quality entertainment more so than the TV’s picture quality, with Yuen noting that over half of Kiwi consumers purchased 4K TVs for the smart capabilities rather than the higher image resolution.
“High-speed connectivity is increasingly important as the delivery backbone of high-quality entertainment,” Yuen said.
“Our research shows that subscribers to online video streaming services are more likely to own a Smart TV, as well as a smartphone… these same subscribers also value smart campabilities more than the average consumer.
“They are more likely to want the best entertainment experience and [are] more likely to spend to attain it.”
The silver lining for both hardware vendors and online streaming providers is that, as Smart televisions become the new normal, online video streaming will begin to replace linear television.
“Hardware vendors can get ahead by articulating the value of connectivity between their televisions and other smart devices to their potential customers, while online streaming providers should pay more attention to delivering a better television experience,” Yuen said.
