Smart TVs Overtake Cable: Streaming Dominates TV Viewing in 2024

The channel-surfing era is officially over, says a new report from Hub Entertainment Research, and smart TV owners instead crave app-based viewing experiences that offer them more than the traditional TV fare.

By Hub’s count, Evolution of the TV Set finds smart TVs are steadily changing how viewers use streaming services and other entertainment apps as their use of traditional linear pay-TV goes the opposite direction.

Key data points include:

The percentage of TVs being used for streaming is growing.

In 2024, 60% say their ‘most-used’ TV sets are connected to a streaming platform, up from 50% in 2020. By contrast, the percentage of primary TVs connected to cable has fallen, 38% this year compared to 52% in 2020.

More than half of all viewing sessions are now initiated through smart TV operating systems.

Increasingly, what people watch is driven by smart TV operating systems.

38% see the apps via smart TV’s home screen first when they switch on their TV.
Another 27% see apps on home screen of an external media device, which includes Roku player and Apple TV box.
Only 19% have a view of a program already in progress from a cable provider. The discovery process has already got more centric towards applications; however, impelled by smart TV operating systems.

And smart TV operating systems are starting to eclipse individual apps when it comes to finding something to watch.

But first, 50% of consumers say they use a stand-alone app (like Netflix) to find something to watch, while the other half leverage functionality on the smart TV itself:

26% access shows from the home screen of their smart TV
24% use the universal search functionality on their smart TV to see what is available.
This makes the home screen valuable real estate for both the apps placed there and the TV operating systems’ ability to deliver quality universal search across apps.

Smart TV’s significantly shape consumer usage of app’s to discover shows.

Smart TV’s often dictate which apps consumers will use to watch, especially at initial set up. For instance:

51% of them say that while setting up their TV they have installed another app suggested by the operating system of their smart TV. 
Almost 47% answered that they never or rarely add more apps after having set up their TV.

This trajectory is likely to continue, as 79% of the survey respondents were of the opinion that they would choose a completely new TV if it used the same operating system as their existing TV. They are still amply solidifying the influence that OS will have on how they find and experience content.

Those takeaways are from Hub’s Evolution of the TV Set 2024 report, which surveyed 2,517 US consumers between the ages of 16-74 in May of 2024.