According to new data from The Diffusion Group (TDG), 16% of adult broadband users utilize a smart phone or tablet to control their television. More specifically, 12% of adult broadband consumers use a smart phone to control their home television, with 8% using a tablet for this task. Only 4% report using both devices for TV control purposes.

During the first quarter (Q1) of 2014 there were 42 million U.S. households with a TV connected to the Internet, either via a video game console, Blu-ray disc player, streaming media player or the TV itself. According to the NPD Connected Intelligence Connected Home Report,between Q1 2013 and Q1 2014 the number of homes with a TV connected to the Internet grew by 6 million. The vast majority of this increase was driven by growth in the number of homes with Connected TVs and streaming media players.

The market for ultra-high-definition (UHD) TV panels reached a significant new benchmark in March when global shipments exceeded 1 million units for the first time, driven by vastly increased deliveries from the industry’s three largest makers of the high-end panels, according to a new report from IHS Technology.

Parks Associates announced new research showing TVs are outpacing computers as the key platform for Internet video at the firm’s 18th annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference in San Francisco. In the first quarter of 2014, U.S. broadband households watched roughly 3 hours of online video per week on each platform, but the amount of online video consumed on a TV is increasing, up from 2.3 hours per week in 1Q 2013, while online video viewing on a PC is on a steady decline.

Based on forecasts for 138 countries, the number of digital TV homes will increase  by more than 1 billion between 2010 and 2020 to 1.68 billion – or up by 185%,  according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The Digital TV World  Household Forecasts report estimates that the digital TV total will climb by 131 million in 2014 alone.

Ultra HD (UHD) TV household ownership will grow from less than 10 percent of homes in the USA for the next 4 years to 33 percent of homes by 2020 according to the Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices (CHD) service report, “Ultra High-Definition TV Displays: Global Market Forecast 2012-2020.”

Key Strategy Analytics predictions for the UHD TV display market:

·         UHD TV shipments will account for 41 percent of global flat panel TV units in 2020, up from just 4 percent in 2014.

The Global Smart STB and Dongle market will grow at a CAGR of 24.99 percent over the period 2013-2018. One of the latest trends being witnessed in the market is the integration of smart STBs with smart TVs and media players. Instead of purchasing a separate smart STB or dongle, users can buy a smart TV that is integrated with a smart STB, which allows them to directly connect to the internet, stream media, and access subscribed content.

NSR’s newest report, Global Direct-to-Home (DTH) Markets, 7th Edition, concludes when it comes to Direct-to-Home (DTH) Television services, not all emerging markets are created equal. NSR’s regional-centric analysis of DTH platforms points to a significant divergence in market trends not just between “developing” and “developed” markets, but also within the markets of the “developing world."

The United States remains the leader in space competitiveness, but is the only nation to decline for seven straight years. As other countries enhance their space capabilities while the U.S. navigates uncertain transitions, its currently unique convening power in setting the global space agenda is not guaranteed, according to the just relesed Futron 2014 Space Competitiveness Index.

Highlights of the Index include:

Paying IPTV subscribers will overtake pay satellite TV ones in 2018, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The Digital TV Western Europe report  forecasts that IPTV subscriptions will climb by 7.5 million (38%) between 2013 and  2020 compared with 1.2 million additions for both pay satellite TV (up by 5%) and pay DTT (up 22%). Digital cable will increase by nearly 13 million (up 42%).