55% of TVs to Be Internet-Connected by 2013

By 2013, 55% of all TV models shipped by manufacturers will have a built-in web connection, says Steve Koenig, director of the Consumer Electronics Association.

The internet-connected TVs will not require separate boxes, software or setup (via Bloomberg). “We’re going to see a general movement toward having all of your content that is available through the internet,” adds Steve Perlman, founder of WebTV.

Today, just 18% of TVs shipped from manufacturers have built-in web connections.

Various Players

Currently, Google is in a partnership with Sony and Intel to make televisions act more like PCs, allowing users to access any site they want.

Meanwhile, Intel is working with some of the big names in the industry to get its processors into internet-connected TVs. Samsung is working on its own applications platform.

Yahoo has built a user interface for internet TV that displays widgets for weather, news, shopping and social networking which run across the bottom of the screen.

But Will It Catch On?

Some don’t believe internet TV will take off. Phillip Swann, editor of news site TVPredictions, thinks most Americans are not adaptive enough to embrace new technology. “You’ll see more products—I don’t think you’ll necessarily see more adoption,” he is quoted as saying.

But others point out that the younger generation, having grown up in a connected world, finds that television is not interactive enough. They will be more likely to embrace connected TV.

In the Nick of Time…

The shift may give television a much-needed boost, making it once again of vital importance to American viewers. TV is seeing its influence begin to decline among consumers. The latest Infinite Dial study by Arbitron and Edison Research showed that, for the first time, the internet surpassed TV as the “most essential” medium. When asked which they would choose if they must - to never again watch television or never again access the internet - slightly more people chose TV as the medium they would eliminate.

Per the survey: 49% chose to eliminate TV, compared to just over 48% who said they would get rid of the internet.