Will Netflix Be Crowned The King Of The Living Room?

Whether through apps, game consoles or connected TVs, Netflix is well on its way to living room dominance. The market for connected TVs with built-in apps for Netflix, YouTube and others is poised for massive growth in the next few years, while 60% of homes that have these apps are using them once a week already. This underscores the powerful position Netflix is in, but the company does face some challenges, and for all the details on the hurdles and opportunities check out this week's New Media Minute. Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Blip.tv video.

If you had any doubt about whether Netflix would be king of the living room, let me share the latest numbers with you that underscore the vital role that this company is playing in our TV sets and our TV habits.

SEE ALSO: Streaming Video On-Demand to be King of Entertainment as Disc Fall?

Growth In Internet-Connected TV & Apps

Research firm In-Stat says:

• growth Internet-connected TVs, the kind with built-in apps for Netflix and YouTube for instance, will increase by 36% over the next five years.
• Of the 22% of U.S. broadband homes that already have these types of apps built into their sets, 60% are using those apps at least once a week.

All of this suggests that Netflix, YouTube, and other additional viewing sources are becoming more dominant and helpful on the TV set as well.

In addition, according to a study from Neilsen:

• The majority of Netflix streaming users are watching on the TV screen connected to a game console like a Wii, Sony Playstation, or Xbox.
• Only 42% of Netflix users are watching streaming on their computer.
• Now, on the flip side interestingly, most Hulu viewers are in fact watching those shows on Hulu on their computers.

The Future For Netflix

Of course, all is not rosy over at Netflix. Industry analyst Will Richmond has predicted that Netflix could stand to lose 6.5 million customers to churn this quarter. Of course, usually 'churn' means you replace it as well, but still... significant.

This company faces a lot of challenges, but also incredible opportunities on the path to living room ubiquity.

• The Growth Of Netflix Will Be Used To Throttle Your Internet Access

• Netflix To Take A Loss In 2012, Which Should Be Good For Consumers

• The First Original Netflix Series Will Be Lilyhammer, Not House Of Cards