Voice-operated video device usage soars in US, UK, Australia and India
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Joseph O'Halloran
| 02 April 2019

Research from IHS Markit has found that revealed the growing use of available voice-command features to operate TV and video devices, such as smart TVs and set-top boxes.

The analyst believes that the use of voice commands has become increasingly important in the device and entertainment ecosystem, particularly around the home. The use of digital assistants is growing, in terms of reach and usage, as more devices offer a higher degree of interactivity between devices and services.

The survey of 9,636 Internet users in Australia, India, the United Kingdom and the United States, revealed that 22% of Internet users in the markets use such technology while an additional 30% indicated they did not use voice commands, but are interested in doing so in the future.

Moreover, surveyed adults using voice commands to operate video devices were more likely to own, or at least have access to, connected devices that allow access to over-the-top (OTT) video services on the TV screen. These devices include smart TVs, games consoles and media streaming sticks.

Usage was found to peaks among 25-to-34 year olds, compared with all adults aged 18 to 64. However, all age groups are actually key targets for voice-enabled features. IHS Markit noted that older age groups continue to use traditional methods of content discovery, and many are not engaging with all the features and content available to them.

The analyst believes that the voice technology companies have a huge opportunity. It said that content discovery and navigation was vital for video services as a fifth video cancellations were caused by a perceived lack of available content. The most cited reason for cancellation was the service was “too expensive,” followed by “no longer used the service” and “a lack of content available.”

In its Voice Commands on Devices: Content Discovery and Navigation report, IHS stated that in addition to device manufacturers recognising the importance of voice-command features in building a smart home ecosystem, content providers recognise the importance of voice in the customer experience and in the content discovery process.