61% of Smart TVs Are Solely Streaming Content

The way viewers are accessing content on their smart TVs has fundamentally changed in the last few years. An Inscape analysis of over 24 million opted-in devices reveals that traditional TV inputs (cable, satellite, over-the-air antenna) are slowly but steadily ceding ground to streaming. The share of smart TVs that only stream content passed the halfway mark at the start of 2023, and continues to inch up. This shift in consumer habit has real implications for the media industry as the landscape grows more competitive by the quarter. 

Here are a few specific insights from Inscape that marketers should take into account as 2025 approaches: 

• Currently, 61% of smart TVs only stream content. By comparison, in 2021 that share was 45%, highlighting how much has changed in the last few years. 
• A mere 4% of smart TVs solely access content via cable/satellite/OTA, while 35% demonstrate hybrid activity, using both streaming and traditional inputs. 
• Streaming’s share of live, linear viewing time has risen from under 16% in 2022 to nearly 28% in 2024.

Inscape says that this migration to streaming is “thanks in part to the wide availability of budget-friendly smart TVs with built-in apps, creating a seamless experience for watching not only on-demand content, but also what’s currently being aired on linear TV.” 

While we're on the topic of apps, it appears that the average number used per smart TV has stabilized over the last year, at about 5.5. This signals that viewers have settled on how many apps they're willing to use on a regular basis, and reinforces the competitive nature of the streaming landscape — not to mention the value of the smart TV home screen.

For more smart TV insights, download Inscape’s latest report here.