China to outdo US in connected TV sales by 2014

China is set to become the leader in connected TV sales by 2014, outstripping the US, which is the current market leader.

The global connected flat-panel TV (FPTV) market will increase to 91 million units in 2012, according to the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices service report, which forecasts that the US will remain the largest market for connected TVs in 2012, with sales projected to reach 18 million units.

The Asia Pacific region, driven by China and India, will account for 42% of all connected TV sales in 2016.

By the end of 2011, nearly 100 million households worldwide owned at least one connected FPTV, 6% of global household penetration. Strategy Analytics projects that the number of global connected FPTV households will reach 502 million by 2016.

Nearly 40% of all FPTVs sold in 2012 are projected to be Internet-enabled, and this figure will rise to 80% in 2016.

Jia Wu, director of connected home devices (CHD) at Strategy Analytics, said: "Consumers are starting to enjoy services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer on their internet-enabled televisions. The increasing availability of a broad range of other services, like Skype and YouTube, will make the proposition of connected TVs more compelling."