Recent Parks Associates data finds more than 50% of US broadband households own at least one smart TV and the company’s earlier research found 77% of smart TVs among US broadband households are now connected to the internet. New product announcements from top smart TV brands at last week’s CES 2021 reveal that while 4K TV is still popular, these brands are also focused on new technologies and improved smart TV features that will push the smart TV to the front of the in-home video viewing experience. TV features are a major focus this year. Among the smart TV announcements at CES 2021, Parks notes these trends:

• More 8K TV sets – Samsung, Sony, and TCL announced new high-end TV models with 8K resolution. This year, Samsung will offer both 8K resolution and Quantum Mini LED (QLED) technology in its highly anticipated Q900A Neo QLED TV. While Samsung and Sony have already introduced 8K TV sets last year, 2021 will be TCL’s debut. The company will roll out an 8K version of its popular 6-Series Roku Smart TV later this year.
   
• Improved OLED quality – Sony’s XR A90J and LG’s 4K Smart OLED evo TV promise brighter displays and more intelligent image processing and optimization. This is LG's first-ever "OLED evo" offering.
   
• Bigger TVs – TCL made quite the splash at CES 2021 with announcements across home theater, mobile, and smart home categories. The company also introduced its XL Collection, which features three 85-inch 4K TV models at different price points based on the level of performance. During its First Look event leading up to CES, Samsung also announced it will offer its MICRO LED 4K TVs in sizes of 88”, 99”, along with a previously announced 110”. The TVs will include Samsung’s 4Vue  feature, which allows users to connect multiple devices to their TV and display up to four pictures at the same time. Samsung plans to market its TVs across all of its consumer demographic categories, but more budget-minded consumers will blink twice at the premium TVs' price tag, which goes up to $160,000.

Parks Associates will continue examining the increasing role of smart TVs in the connected entertainment experience throughout the year. CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference and Future of Video: OTT, Pay TV, and Digital Media will feature year-round virtual sessions with new consumer research and insights from industry executives on converging IoT industries—including smart home, connected entertainment, and video and digital media.

Further Reading
Connected Entertainment Ecosystems: Competition & Cooperation
Optimizing the Smart TV Experience