Ever since the first television was invented in 1927, it’s been constantly evolving. First, it had a monochrome display. Then came the color version of it. And today, we have a Television sitting right in front of us that connects to the WiFi and brings the whole world into our living room. It has come to a point that Television is one of the prime choices for entertainment. So much so that Video on Demand Services is consumed more on TV. Even in a generation where we have tons of handheld devices.

Television is Still Going Strong

Netflix, World’s leading Video on Demand service shared something that’s very interesting. Streaming is a thing and Streaming on TV is increasing, with 56% of Netflix Viewing hours in Malaysia and 61% across Asia Pacific. It means, Smart TVs are still leading the pack as the most popular connected TV device followed by Media Streaming Device. Like Apple TV, Roku and consoles like XBox and PlayStation.

Not just that, even after majority of Membership signups on mobile device and laptop, 55% of accounts’ primary viewing device in Malaysia whereas 60% in Asia Pacific became 6 months. And this happened within the six months of subscription. At this point, you might be wondering how’s the sales of Smart TVs been like. Well guess what, according to GFK’s Report, the sales have been increased 40% compared to previous years.

Netflix users across Asia Pacific are using between three to five different devices for consuming entertainment content. Even after looking at people getting devices that’s portable and mobile, TV still stands as the centerpiece for entertainment experience. This also clearly shows that there won’t be that “The One and Only” device which will dominate the future.

Chris Jaffe, the Vice President of Product Innovation of Netflix said the following,

“People have always enjoyed watching TV and this won’t change anytime soon. The beauty of connected TVs is that they’re able to exploit the best part of the conventional linear TV experience, while leveraging all of the benefits of connected technology. Consumers can now enjoy big screen time at home that is personalized to their unique tastes and preferences, on-demand, immersive and interactive. As consumers discover this with Netflix, the more they love their connected TV experience.”

It’s the Year of HDR Content

Talking about the Smart TVs sold, one particular thing that consumers are interested in is the UHD 4K variants. Get ready for this, the Sales of Ultra HD 4K TV in Asia Pacific has increased to a whooping 103% in the last 12 months. And in Malaysia alone, it has increaded to 27% in Q1 of 2016.

Jeffe also added,

“These audio-video innovations come at a time when there is a growing library of high-quality content available for streaming. Netflix has endless hours of Ultra HD 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR) content; and more than half of our catalogue already supports 5.1 surround sound. We have also just announced our support for Dolby Atmos three-dimensional sound.”

If you remember the article on HDR & Dolby Atmos Content on Netflix which I wrote a while back, (click here), it’s expanding like never before. Followed by Okja, BLAME! and Death Note, upcoming contents will be added to these library for that amazing viewing experience. Some of the upcoming title includes Black Mirror Season 4, Bright, Punisher and more.

I, personally enjoyed watching Stranger Things Season 2 on HDR and trust me, it’s something you should experience to know it. 🙂