NPD Group
The move to Internet TV, by the numbers
May 3, 2013: 6:36 AM ETHouseholds with broadband Internet access are increasingly piping Internet video to their TV sets, through a variety of devices.
FORTUNE -- We can examine the strategies of Netflix (NFLX) and Comcast (CMCSA) all we like, but the speed at which television moves off of cable and onto the Internet will be determined largely by what people decide to do in their living rooms. Now that they have the hardware and software tools to access TV online -- and, of course, lots of videos to watch -- all eyes are on home viewers.
More than half of them -- 56% of all households with broadband Internet access -- now have at least one TV set connected to the Internet, according to a report from Diffusion Group, "Defining the In-Home CE and Network Ecosystem 2013." About two-thirds of the nation's homes have broadband.
While viewers use a variety of means to get Internet video from Netflix and other services onto their TV screens, it appears that smart TVs are increasingly in favor, though most people are still porting video content through game consoles like the Xbox 360 (MSFT), the Sony PS3 (SNE), and the Nintendo Wii (NTDOY). About 62% of households own such a device, which are used about a quarter of the time for TV viewing, on average.
MORE: Google Glass is amazing. Now fix it
But smart TVs are coming on strong, growing faster than dedicated Internet-to-TV devices like Roku or Apple TV (AAPL). About 14% of broadband households own a dedicated device, while about 25% own a smart TV. Ownership of smart TVs has doubled over the past year, while ownership of dedicated devices grew by only two percentage points. But only about two-thirds of smart TVs are actually connected to the Internet, according to the report.
Another report, this one from NPD Group, found that by next year, all of these means of connecting the Internet to TVs will eclipse connections via Blu-ray players. For now, more people are connected through Blu-rays than through smart TVs, but that's swiftly changing -- another sign of people moving away from movies on discs. The NPD Group report, "Connected Home," also found that 40% of households with Internet-connected TVs watch videos from Netflix, 17% watch YouTube (GOOG) videos, and 11% watch movies and TV shows via Hulu.
-
Sonos builds beyond its bass
The audio equipment manufacturer has out-lasted buzzier rivals and now, with a major new round of investment, is plotting to grow faster.
FORTUNE -- "If we'd really understood it, we'd have never have started," says Tom Cullen, co-founder of audio equipment maker Sonos. The "it" in this case is the ruthless nature of the consumer electronics industry. Cullen isn't being hyperbolic. In the decade since Sonos was founded, the company has MORE
JP Mangalindan, Writer - Jun 25, 2012 2:57 PM ET -
Where would U.S. consumer electronics be without Apple?
Down 6% in 2011, that's where, according to the NPD Group
If it weren't for tablets and mobile phones, 2011 would have been a miserable year for the U.S. consumer electronics industry.
Total U.S. retail sales for the year were $144 billion, down 1% from 2010, according to a report issued Monday by the NPD Group.
That might not sound too bad. But sales of PCs, TVs and video game hardware were all down, MORE
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Feb 13, 2012 10:13 AM ET -
Impact of the iPhone 4S launch was 'enormous,' says Nielsen
Between October and Christmas, Apple's U.S. sales nearly caught up to Android's
Three findings stand out in Nielsen's December survey of the U.S. mobile phone market, released Wednesday:
Among recent smartphone buyers, 44.5% of those surveyed in December bought an Apple (AAPL) iPhone, up from 25.1% in October
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Jan 18, 2012 7:00 AM ET
57% of new iPhone buyers said they chose the iPhone 4S over the less expensive iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS
Android's lead among recent buyers nearly MORE -
Piper Jaffray lowers its Mac estimate, raises its iPhone
Apple's U.S. MacBook sales came in softer than expected in December, according to NPD
In a note to clients issued Tuesday, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster offered his analysis of the NPD Group's final PC retail sales data for 2011.
The news, as he sees is, is good and bad.
Domestic Mac unit sales were up 12% for the quarter, according to NPD, which isn't bad given that sales of Microsoft (MSFT) Windows PCs MORE
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Jan 17, 2012 8:08 AM ETPosted in: Apple, Gene Munster, iPhone, Mac, MacBook, Microsoft, NPD Group, Piper Jaffray, Quarterly earnings, Windows -
NPD: iPhone surged, Android slipped in Oct. and Nov.
Apple's (AAPL) share of the U.S. smartphone market nearly caught up to Google's (GOOG) Android in the first two months of the fourth quarter, according to a new report from the NPD Group.
Apple's market share jumped from 26% in Q3 to 43% in October and November while Android's fell from 60% to 47%.
Underscoring Apple's strength going into the holiday sales period, the company had the three best-selling smartphones -- the MORE
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Jan 9, 2012 4:16 PM ET -
Black Friday: Apple zigged while the PC market zagged
PC sales were down 8% Thanksgiving week, but demand for the MacBook Air was strong
In a note to clients Thursday, Morgan Stanley's Katy Huberty rattled off several reasons to explain why retail sales of personal computers in the U.S. were down 8% year over year for the week of Nov. 20 to 26, as reported by the NPD Group.
Hard drive shortages, the lingering effects of flooding in Thailand
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Dec 9, 2011 6:16 AM ET
Price reductions in MOREPosted in: Amazon, Apple, Black Friday, iPad, Katy Huberty, Kindle Fire, MacBook Air, Morgan Stanley, NPD Group, PCs, Retailing, Thanksgiving -
The island of misfit tablets
What manufacturers are going to give Apple's iPad a run for the money?
For reasons known only unto itself, the NPD group saw fit Tuesday to issue a press release reporting on U.S. sales of tablets excluding the market's 400-pound gorilla: Apple's (AAPL) iPad.
"If you look at the tablet market without Apple there are a number of high-profile brands vying for that number two spot," said NPD vice president of industry analysis Stephen MORE
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Nov 22, 2011 2:01 PM ET -
NPD: New MacBook Pros pushed U.S. Mac sales up 47% y/y in March
While the rest of the PC industry lost ground, Apple's computer sales were growing
Once again, Mac sales zigged while PCs zagged.
In a note to clients Monday afternoon, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster summarized data from the NPD Group for the last quarter:
In the month of March, U.S. Mac sales were up 47% year over year, driven by the new MacBook Pros that started shipping Feb. 24.
Philip Elmer-DeWitt - Apr 18, 2011 2:04 PM ET
That 47% uptick followed growth of MORE -
NPD: HTC was leading U.S. smartphone vendor in Q4 2010
As part of their CTIA package, NPD group posted some positive numbers for Android and its vendors.
Taiwan's HTC overtook Apple (AAPL) and RIM (RIMM) to become the leading manufacturer of US smartphones in Q4 2010 according to a report by NPD Group.
HTC's share of the US Market crossed 20% while BlackBerry and Apple slipped to 19%. Motorola(MMI) rounded out the top four at 16%. Samsung, LG, Nokia(NOK), HP/Palm (HPQ) and MORE
Seth Weintraub - Mar 22, 2011 12:17 PM ETPosted in: Apple, BlackBerry, HTC Corporation, HTC Evo 4G, iPhone, Nokia, NPD Group, Research in Motion
