• Research: 109.1 Million CTV Devices Sold Globally in Q4 ’20

    A record 109.1 million connected TV devices (smart TVs, streaming sticks and boxes, and game consoles) were sold globally in Q4 ’20, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. That was up 9% from the 100.3 million CTV devices sold in Q4, ’19 and up 34% from the 81.5 million sold in Q3 ’20. Amazon led with 12.1% market share for the first time, edging out Samsung, which fell to second with 10.9% share. Following Samsung were Sony (8.2%), Nintendo (7.7%), LG (5.9%) and Roku (5.8%).

    Strategy Analytics noted that Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K became the best-selling digital media streaming device globally in 2020. The device ordinarily retails for $49.99 but periodically is on sale for up to $20 off. Strategy Analytics also said the CTV device market remains fragmented overall, with “a long way to go in the battle to build global-scale TV streaming platforms during the 2020s.”

    For the full year Strategy Analytics said that global CTV device sales reached a record 305.3 million units, up 7.6% from 2019. The firm attributed the growth to Covid’s stay-at-home guidelines, and sees further growth in 2021 with viewers moving to streaming TV services and away from traditional pay-TV.