Sony's bet on Google TV appears to be paying off as it helped push the Japanese TV maker into the top-3 in Smart TVs sales in the US in the second half of 2021. Samsung remains the leader.

Sony overtook Vizio in the US in the third quarter of 2021 and remained ahead in the past six months, according to data from analyst firm Parks Associations. LG is in second place while Samsung remains comfortably in the lead.

- "Samsung continues to lead smart TV adoption, and it currently comprises over one-fourth of all consumers' primary smart TVs in the US," said Paul Erickson, Director, Research, Parks Associates. "While smart-TV adoption is at all-time highs, there may be short-term saturation and conservatism in effect while consumer smart-TV purchasing settles following dramatic increases in 2020. Sony still managed to grow in purchasing – despite downturns for the traditional top three brands – which may be related to its first-mover release of new Google TV Bravia models over 2021."

Although not clear from the press release, the data appears to rank the top-5 TV makers based on revenue – not unit sales.



Many consumers invested in a new Smart TV during the lockdowns and the analyst firm attributed some of Sony's succes in moving up the ranks to Google TV, the new user interface on top of Android TV. Google TV is powering the majority of Sony's 2021 and 2022 TV models.

- "Smart TVs have become the most-important media centerpiece for the home, and their prominence offers the industry numerous integration opportunities for smart home and connected health ecosystems."

Parks Associations said that 56% of US households now own a smart TV while 39% own a gaming console. Global Smart TV ownership is expected to surpass 50% by 2026, according to a separate report.

Besides a Smart TV, many consumers use a box, stick or console for video streaming.