BOSTON, Mass.—Consumers continue to rapidly embrace advanced TV technologies, which in turn is transforming both viewer habits and the business opportunities for content providers and advertisers, according to Hub Entertainment Research’s fourth annual “Evolution of the TV Set” study. 

One notable finding of the survey and report is that the speed with which consumers are turning to streaming using smart TVs continues to impress. Almost two thirds (62%) of TV homes report streaming using a smart TV, compared with less than half (47%) two years ago, the Hub survey found. This rapid increase is driven by increases in both smart TV homes and in the share of those homes using smart TVs to stream.

Another technology being rapidly adopted is voice control. Half (51%) of the most-used sets in U.S. homes have a remote control with voice command capability – up notably since 2020 (38%), Hub reported. 

In homes with a smart TV, one in three (33%) linked a smart TV to a smart speaker like Amazon’s Echo or Google’s Nest, enabling voice control – up a third from 2020 (25%).

Another notable trend is the use of TV sets for activities other than viewing TV programs or movies. In smart TV homes, 7 in 10 (73%) say they use a set for something else – up from 6 in 10 (63%) in 2020, Hub found. 

The most popular non-TV activities on smart TVs are streaming music, mirroring or casting another screen to the set, checking news or weather apps, or using an on-set browser. 

“Streaming on smart TV sets has grabbed the spotlight, but don’t forget other ways TVs have evolved,” said David Tice, senior consultant to Hub and co-author of the study. “With the TV itself becoming an advertising platform, changes in user behaviors from set evolution can impact marketing opportunities, exposure, and effectiveness.”

The findings are from Hub’s “Evolution of the TV Set 2022” report, based on a survey conducted among 2,526 US consumers. Interviews were conducted in May 2022 and cover consumer ownership of, and attitudes towards, TV sets and TV-related technologies.  

A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website. 

ST. LOUIS—Disruptel has received $1.15 million in backing through a recent seed round for its remote control technology designed to improve consumers interactions with connected televisions.

Disruptel was founded in 2017 and develops AI technology that processes video content in real time. Its flagship product is Context, which allows users to ask questions about the content on their CTVs through their remote control and receive immediate answers, including information regarding people on screen. Through Context, users can also purchase video-on-demand and other products related to on-screen content without using a second device, something that 88% of Americans currently do, per Nielsen.

PJC and Progress Ventures led the seed round. Other investors included Mike Baker and Bill Simmons, co-founders of DataXu, which was acquired by Roku in 2019; Adam Cheyer, co-founder of Siri; and Andrew Olson, a senior technology executive that worked on Xfinity TV and Sky Q.

The funding is expected to be used to enhance and scale Context and other Disruptel Smart Screen products.

“I created Disruptel to make the TV viewing experience better for me and for my friends,” said Alex Quinn, CEO of Disruptel. “Like most Gen Z viewers, I think smart TVs are not as smart as they should be. We were never given the truly smart and interactive TV we were promised, so we are creating it ourselves. Our products improve the viewing experience while also creating new revenue streams for our content partners through non-intrusive advertising.”

For more information, visit www.disruptel.com.  

IRVINE, Calif.—Consumers who have been forced into a “touch-free” environment due to the coronavirus pandemic are more likely to use their voices to control a variety of smart devices, according to a survey by Syntiant, a tech company providing voice control technologies. 

The top of the list? Smartphones (61%) and smart TVs/remotes (45%).

According to the online survey (weighted for generational differences), 87% of Americans own one or more smart devices, and Generation Z (ages 18-23) are most likely to increase their use of voice control due to the pandemic. The percentage of Gen Z and Millennials (24-39) who use voice control is 81%, compared to 68% for Gen X (40-55) and 51% for Baby Boomers (56-74).   

Other popular smart devices mentioned in the survey include smart home appliances, gaming devices and smart watches.

PLUS: Broadcast Quality Is Most Important When Delivering Streaming Service 

“Voice is quickly becoming the next user interface,” said Kurt Busch, CEO of Syntiant. “Our survey found that more than two-thirds of Americans are using voice to control their devices, which is indicative of our own customer growth and the growing market opportunity for our hands-free, always-on voice solution. Whether it’s using customized multilingual wake words, or speech commands, such as ‘volume up’ or ‘volume down,’ our Neural Decision Processors deliver voice technology that is creating rewarding experiences at the edge, empowering consumers to use speech to seamlessly command their smart products.”

The biggest concern over the increasing use of voice control is privacy, with 27% listing it as their top concern followed by security (23%), functionality (19%) and ease of use (15%).

PHILADELPHIA—Comcast, which is currently in the middle of multiple patent cases over its technology, earned a victory in one of them for its voice control technologies over the California-based Promptu Systems Corp. As a result, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidated Promptu’s patent defined as “system and method of voice recognition nera a wireline node of a network supporting cable television and/or video delivery.”

For more information, read the full story on TVT’s sister publication Multichannel News.