SANTA CLARA, Calif. – When it comes to trading in their TV sets for iPads, Turkey leads the world. This according to NPD DisplaySearch’s Global TV Replacement Study, which surveyed 14,000 TV owners in regions around the world, and found that the use of tablets by consumers for viewing TV/video content more than doubled in 14 regional markets surveyed in the past year.
In Turkey, tablet use grew from 3.1% in 2011 to 16.5% in 2012. NPD also noted strong tablet usage growth in Germany (up nearly four times), as well as France and the U.S. (both up more than three times).
NPD credits improved connectivity infrastructure for making tablets a credible alternative for viewing video content. Consumers are also leveraging other alternate electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones to view TV/video content says NPD. The study noted that more than 70% of consumers use alternate electronic devices such as tablets, notebook PCs, smart phones, MP3 players and desktop computers to view TV/video content.
In mature markets such as the U.S., the U.K. and Germany, a higher number of people viewed video content on portable computing devices such as tablets and notebook PCs. In emerging markets like China, Indonesia, Russia and Turkey, consumers reported that they view content on mobile devices such as smart phones. This is due to the relatively high penetration of wireless networks says NPD.
“While the trends vary by region, it is evident that consumers around the globe are watching more video and TV content with their portable electronic devices as these provide additional means of accessing content,” said Riddhi Patel, Research Director of Consumer Insights for NPD in a statement.
He added that despite this increase, TVs still remain the primary device of choice for viewing TV content, with 30% of consumers reporting that they view TV/video content on TVs alone.
Surprisingly, despite increasing use of tablets and alternate smart devices, TV replacement cycles were shorter in 2012 than in 2011 in all the countries surveyed as consumers ditched their old sets for flat panels. NPD says that increasing availability of flat panels in a range of sizes and declining prices are continuing to drive the trend. LCD continues to dominate global markets as the flat panel technology of choice.
