Business Insider

Roku, the streaming video platform and device maker, increased its US market share to 37% in Q1 2017 from 30% a year ago, according to Parks Associates. Roku still commands market leadership over Amazon, Google, Apple and others when it comes to media player ownership in the US.

Amazon’s Fire TV came in second in terms of market share, at 24% in Q1 2017 versus 16% last year. Meanwhile, Google and Apple lost market share over the past year. Here’s why that’s important:

Fr ...read more

Voice assistants are integrating into more and more places; the smart speaker market in particular is expected to grow 60% from 2016 to 2017, according to Parks Associates research analyst Dina Abdelrazik. So let’s say one day, voice tech starts to feel normal and become superior to touch — what happens if some apps and devices only support one assistant, while others only work with another? If Amazon's Alexa were to stay dominant, would that let Amazon dictate what devices you ...read more

Netflix customers are loyal. In research published this April, analysts from Parks Associates found that Netflix subscribers were much less likely to cancel than those of Hulu or Amazon Prime Video. Only 9% of its subscriber base had canceled in the last year, Parks Associates found, compared to Hulu, which saw a full half of its current subscriber base cancel in the last year.

From the article "Netflix's Competitors Are Quickly Closing The Gap in A Crucial Area" by Nathan M ...read more

Data from Parks Associates shows that US consumers prefer retailer-based options to general-purpose mobile wallets. These platforms can attract tremendous popularity — Starbucks now processes 25% of its US payments through its mobile app. 

From the article "CVS Has Launched Its Own Mobile Wallet — And It's Poised For Success" by www.businessinsider.com

Even with solid growth from Apple TV last year, research firm Parks Associates estimated it to be fourth behind Google, Amazon, and Roku in streaming device sales last year. Of the 42 million streaming devices sold last year, Google's Chromecast was the leader, according to Strategy Analytics, with a 35% market share.

From the article "Here's How Apple Failed In TV" by Jeremy Bowman.

Last year, a report from Parks Associates estimated the industry would lose $500 million to password sharing in 2015. This data suggests that might be a bit of an overstatement given the likelihood of getting multiple family members, especially in the same household, to subscribe to the same service. It also puts Netflix and HBO's historically lax position on password sharing into a bit of perspective.

From the article "Only 4% Of People Share Passwords For Services Like Net ...read more

Smart home products are out on the market, but unfortunately most consumers have no idea where to buy them.

Only 30% of U.S. households are aware of where to buy smart home products or services, according to a recent Parks Associates survey. That figure should cause concern among manufacturers of these devices.

From the article "Most People Have No Idea Where To Buy Smart Home Products" by Andrew Meola.

Geekatoo Executive Chairman Christian Shelton saw demand for tech services rising as more people add internet-connected devices - such as the smart thermostat Nest or WiFi camera Dropcam - to their homes.

The U.S. tech support industry makes about $30 billion in annual revenue, according to research by Parks Associates, a consulting firm.

From the article "On-Demand Tech Support Companies HelloTech, Geekatoo Merge" by www.businessinsider.com