In the US, Hulu is the fastest-growing subscription streamer on connected TV devices, with the number of households that watch it via those devices rising by 53% between January 2020 and June 2021.

For decades, traditional TV advertisers have targeted ad messages at households. Jon Schulz, CMO at programmatic ad firm Viant Technology, joins eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin to discuss why even in the digital era it still makes sense to do so, and why advertiser spend will continue to shift into programmatic connected TV and linear TV.

For the first time, more than half (52.5%) of internet users ages 16 to 64 owned a smart TV in H1 2021, versus 48.1% in H1 2020. Among individuals in high-income households, smart TV ownership passed 60% this year—though uptake in lower-income homes still lagged at 44.0%. Other smart devices also gained ground.

Smart TVs also entered more households in H1 2021, taking penetration to 38.2%. Ownership was highest (52.8%) among those in high-income households, while older respondents and city dwellers posted above-average penetration. Males and females were equally likely to own a smart TV. While smart TV penetration crept upward, digital video viewing became near-universal, at 96.9% in H1 2021.

Amazon’s new smart TVs will disrupt both the connected TV (CTV) and TV measurement industries: Amazon Fire TV is already a major player, but its new CTV lines will let it take advantage of the ongoing fracturing of TV measurement.

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.

Usage was greatest (over 93%) in the 16-to-24 cohort; SVOD also reached more than 90% of internet users in high-income households. 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%.