Over 8 billion devices connected to the internet

By the end of 2015, there were 8.1 billion internet-connected, claims a report by IHS Technology.

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These devices consist of smartphones, tablets, PCs, TVs and TV-attached devices such as Apple TV and Chromecast, and audio devices. Averaged out across the globe, this works out at four devices per household.

The breakdown of those devices is also quite an eye-opener. Smartphones are without a doubt the dominant device, outnumbering PCs by about 1.8 to one, and outnumber tablets by around 4.6 to one.

Year-on-year, smartphones contribute roughly half a billion new devices to the market, and by 2020 they will outnumber tablets 10 to one.

"The proliferation of media-enabled connected endpoints has implications for media consumption, media production, broadband infrastructure, and the business itself of network management and traffic discrimination," said Merrick Kingston, principal analyst-connected home, at IHS Technology. "It drives media consumption, IP traffic and more."

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And it seems that some companies are managing to leverage this device landscape. For example, Netflix has secured a presence across 32 percent of connected devices in the US

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