Parks Points

Home networks are a key building block for today's connected home systems and products, and wireless is the dominant method of connectivity for a variety of smart home, computing and entertainment devices. As a result, loss of wireless connectivity can be disruptive to the user experience and seriously impair the value proposition of computing and entertainment devices.

More than 30 percent of computing and entertainment device owners reported loss of wireless connectivity last year, ...read more

According to Parks Associates research, more than half (54%) of U.S. broadband households do not know if their electricity provider offers energy programs, such as rebates for energy products or time-of-use rate plans. Further, 19% report that their electricity provider offers energy programs but that they do not participate.

The large segment of consumers that is unaware of energy programs is an opportunity for utility providers, as low awareness and participation has largely been ...read more

Smart speakers are becoming a more common platform for controlling connected entertainment due to a rapid increase in popularity and ease of use. Household penetration of smart speakers is expected to reach 47% among U.S. broadband households by 2022, according to Parks Associates research. New entrants in the voice-first connected CE market, include Samsung, Roku and Facebook.

The average U.S. broadband household in 2018 had 8.8 connected computing, entertainment, or mobile devices, all ...read more

The percentage of broadband households with a pay-TV service continues to decline, from 87% in 2011 to 80% in 2018. Those declines have largely been due to increasing consumer choice from OTT services, as 70% of U.S. broadband households now subscribe to at least one OTT service. However, MVPDs may rejoice that pay-TV decline is showing early signs of plateauing.

Households without pay-TV service subscriptions increased from 13% in Q3 2012 to 23% in Q3 2017. That number dipped to 20% in ...read more

In a recent survey, 25% of broadband households indicated they were familiar with some type of VR technology, but just 8% actually owned a headset, Parks Associates researchers found.

While ownership has grown significantly over the past two years, VR headsets have not experienced the explosion in adoption that has characterized connected devices like smartwatches and smart speakers. Most consumers view VR headsets as a luxury niche product.

Gaming remains at the heart of VR ...read more

Market dynamics are changing the U.S. residential security market, creating new business models that better appeal to the approximately 70% of households without a security system. Smart home adjacencies have helped revitalize the traditional security industry, and alternative approaches to systems and monitoring for the security industry are emerging, including a new batch of DIY systems.

Growth in the residential security market and its position as the channel for smart home solutions ...read more

At the end of 2018, 24% of U.S. broadband households owned at least one of the 14 products that have thus far constituted the smart home market. This figure has grown from 9% at year-end 2014. These devices and their accompanying ecosystems require seamless interoperability to provide a robust user experience. A home is only as intelligent as its orchestrator – the home hub or centralized unit of control.

Voice interfaces, represented by smart speakers in particular, are ascending, ...read more

The consumer IoT and smart home industries have achieved a key long-term goal — they have generated sufficient consumer interest and subsequent purchase intentions to move adoption of smart home solutions into the early majority, along with strong increase in the number of multidevice households. Research from Parks Associates shows 17 percent of U.S. broadband households own both an internet-connected entertainment device and a smart home device, and 13 percent own both a connected health ...read more

Smartphone-based systems continue to dominate the overall VR market and account for the majority of systems. These low-end systems are reported as an underwhelming experience and may be a barrier to adoption of higher-quality systems, such as PlayStation VR or Oculus Rift.

Smartphone-based systems have achieved greater adoption due to their low cost, despite a lower quality experience compared to other VR alternatives. The reporting of underwhelming experiences with these systems risks ...read more

The shift of live content from traditional broadcast television to online sources has significantly changed the video industry, especially with the news media. The rise of live online alternatives extends those capabilities to nontraditional voices in the digital realm, including bloggers, social media influencers, independent video creators, digital networks, and over-the-top news services. The combination of digital creators and more professional digital networks, like Cheddar, offers ...read more