Web-enabled consumer electronics device shipments to hit 3.5bn in 2015

Up from 2.5 billion in 2012.

Analyst IMS Research says the number of consumer electronics with web functions shipped - such as smartphones and TVs - will rise by a billion within three years.

The firm says the two main drivers of multi-screen adoption will be wi-fi in the home and the increased use of complementary smartphone apps.

Stephen Froehlich, senior analyst at IMS Research, said: "While the concept of a converged multi-screen ecosystem is not new, the reality is that previous attempts to implement have provided a sub-par user experience.

"However, 2012 will be the year that this all changes. Numerous vendors at this year’s CES, for instance, demonstrated products which showed real, highly complex, incredibly powerful and scalable solutions to the incredibly difficult problem of delivering a converged, multiscreen television experience.

"The next step in this evolution is to use wireless technologies to seamlessly share content with mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. As this installed base of connected CE devices grows, service providers are focusing on evolving their strategies to encompass the multiple devices and screens used by consumers in the consumption of advanced broadband services."