More than a quarter of TVs sold in the first quarter of 2012 are capable of connecting to the Internet. The leader in the transition to smart TVs was Japan, where the share of such devices reached 46%, followed by Western Europe and China with 36 and 32%, respectively, in second and third place.

TVs with Internet access are rapidly conquering the market: according to a report by the research company NPD DisplaySearch, there are already 27% of TVs with this function, and 20% belong to the Smart TV category, that is, they are capable of displaying diverse media content using proprietary applications. “Smart” TVs not only display video from the Internet, but also allow you to conduct video chats on Skype, comment on programs on social networks, and independently display alerts about the weather, traffic and any other news. Explosive growth of this market is observed in all regions, including countries where broadband wired Internet access is not developed. According to analysts, in such regions (including many regions of Russia) there is a demand for displaying various content from mobile devices. Communication with smartphones and computers is also an important feature of Smart TV, and you can stream video from a mobile device, as well as control the TV like a remote control.

The hit parade of manufacturers leading in the smart TV segment is headed by Sony, Skyworth and Philips, with the second company operating mainly in China. The Chinese market has interesting features. TVs are equipped with a built-in web browser, and viewers can independently go to any video site to watch the desired show or movie. Paid Internet broadcasting services like the American Hulu and the English BBC iPlayer are not developed in China. In European countries and America, on the contrary, broadcasting is limited to proprietary applications of TV channels in order to limit the level of piracy. Russia is following the European path - TV for our market is equipped with access to Internet broadcasting of Russian channels and Russian services for the sale of legal content, such as stream.ru, ivi.ru, now.ru, zoomby.ru, etc.

Analysts predict continued rapid growth in Smart TV sales as TVs with this technology combine the video freedom of the Internet with the comfort of a large TV screen and a soft sofa.

TVs have become a quarter smarter