Smart devices—including connected TVs, smartwatches, and smart home products—are finally gaining ground in Italy. The near-universal engagement with digital video has encouraged ownership of smart TVs, which rose by 9 percentage points YoY, to 55.9%. Ownership correlated directly with income, reaching 62.8% in the most affluent homes and was also above average among males, at 58.0%.

Over 34% of internet users owned a smart TV in H1 2021, compared with 29.5% a year prior. Yet—as in previous surveys—penetration in France remained well below that of several other Western European countries. In Germany, Italy, and Spain, for example, about 56% of respondents had a smart TV this year.

Belgium is relatively affluent, yet smart TV ownership showed no apparent growth between H1 2019 and H1 2020. As of H1 2021, though, penetration jumped to 45.6%. Among respondents in high-income homes, that share was 52.1%. But ownership rose decisively in all cohorts. Other advanced digital devices and services also registered significant uptake since last year, fueled in many cases by the pandemic.

Smart TVs posted significant growth in both 2020 and 2021, due at least partly to the pandemic and greater engagement with in-home entertainment. More than 55% of internet users polled in H1 2021 had a web-enabled TV, compared with 45.1% in H1 2019. In middle- and higher-income households, more than 60% owned a smart TV this year. Smart home products also reached a milestone in H1 2021.

As in 2019 and 2020, about 31% of respondents had a smart TV. In lower-income homes, penetration was closer to 22%, but in more affluent households, ownership was 44.9%. As these figures suggest, many advanced digital devices still have little market presence in Russia, and adoption is slow.

Smart TVs are gaining ground as high-quality in-home viewing becomes a must-have. In all but a handful of countries, smart TV ownership rose by several percentage points YoY. In many cases, that lifted penetration above 50% for the first time. Japan was the most striking outlier; just 9.0% of internet users there owned a smart TV this year.

Among newer digital devices, smart TVs continued their advance, with ownership rising to 54.4% of respondents. TV streaming sticks are also popular, with 41.2% of internet users owning one in H1 2021. Other digital gadgets are making slower progress toward significant market share.

Smart TVs haven’t caused the disappearance of TV streaming sticks, though. The share of internet users who owned a streaming stick or similar device passed 31% in H1 2021—and reached 37.0% in high-income homes. Smart home devices—such as systems that enable people to remotely monitor household energy consumption—also saw a large uptick in adoption.

Nearly 44% of internet users owned a smart TV in H1 2021, though annual growth was minimal. Web-enabled TVs gained popularity especially in the 35-to-54 age bracket, but affluent respondents continued to register the highest penetration, at nearly 60%. Traditional broadcast media still attract large audiences.

Smart TV ownership is on the rise as well, climbing to 60.5% in H1 2021. By comparison, smartwatches registered only modest uptake, owned by 16.1% of the online population in H1 2021. As in 2020, penetration was appreciably higher among males (19.9%), respondents ages 35 to 44 (19.6%), and those in high-income households (21.7%). Ownership did fall, though, among 35- to 44-year-olds.

The share of smart TV owners passed the halfway mark this year, reaching 51.9%. Penetration remained highest in more affluent households (58.6%) and also above average in the 35-to-64 age bracket.

Adoption of smart TVs may be slowing, but smartwatches and smart wristbands finally achieved takeoff. Smart TV ownership passed the halfway mark in 2019 and stood at 53.4% in H1 2021. Penetration was greatest in high-income households, at 60.2%. But ownership actually declined in several cohorts, including respondents ages 45 to 64 and those in low-income households.

More than half of respondents owned a smart TV. In high-income households, that share passed 60% in H1 2021. Ownership was also well above average among 45- to 54-year-olds. Digital video consumption, which jumped during the pandemic in H1 2020, recorded another leap this year.

The share of internet users who owned a smart TV rose by about 6 percentage points, to 49.2% in H1 2021. Digital audio content, including music and audiobooks, climbed modestly year over year to reach 63.6% of internet users in H1. Penetration rose in almost all cohorts, falling only among the youngest group. Even with the decline, the 16-to-24 cohort posted the highest monthly usage, at 81.4%.

With digital video viewing on the rise, it’s no surprise that more people invested in smart TVs. In H1 2021, the share of respondents who owned a connected TV passed the halfway mark for the first time, reaching 52.9%. Adults ages 35 to 44 and those in affluent homes were leading adoption, with ownership reaching 56.7% and 65.5%, respectively.

Smart TV ownership was up 3 percentage points between 2019 and 2020, and it grew even further in H1 2021, to 49.6%. Meanwhile, the penetration of TV streaming sticks and similar devices rose to 24.9%. Voice assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, are gradually entering the mainstream via early adopters—chiefly internet users ages 16 to 24.

Many of Greece’s internet users have warmed to the advantages of smart TVs; 53.8% of those polled in H1 2021 already owned one. Significant numbers of respondents had interactive wearables. One in 8 (12.6%) owned a smart wristband in H1, and almost double that share (22.6%) owned a smartwatch.

Though adoption of some digital devices has been slow, smart TVs are going from strength to strength as enablers of greater TV consumption overall. Almost 56% of internet users polled in H1 2021 owned a smart TV. Penetration neared 65% in high-income households and among internet users ages 45 to 54. But even in the 16-to-24 age group, half of those polled owned a connected TV.

Meanwhile, newer services from the US and the rest of Europe, such as Disney+ and SkyShowtime, have recently entered the picture or are preparing to do so.”. In April, for example, Netflix announced that it would establish a hub in Sweden to oversee production in the Nordics. This came as Amazon relaunched Prime Video in the region after a very unsuccessful start, focusing this time on local content.

A significant uptick in the number of connected TV (CTV) users in 2020 likely caused the increase, and that growth will continue for the next several years. In our recent report, “UK Digital Users 2021: After a Trying Year, Which of Our Digital User Forecasts Changed, Which Changes Will Stick, and Which Won’t?

But podcast listeners may increasingly be listening hands-free on smart speakers or even connected TVs (CTVs). Mobile Games. Mobile gamers least like the ad formats that cover up the game and that force the user to experience the ad, such as when ads take over their screens. They feel most positively toward rewarded ads, whether video or static display, versus any other format in mobile games.