Rapid TV News

"Smartphone user growth translates into skyrocketing mobile data usage, which will test network capacity as well as pricing power of the operators," noted Parks Associates.

Parks Associates noted that operators have several solutions to manage escalating data traffic, and two of them rely on capital expenditures: 1) Intelligent network policy protocols to prioritize network traffic by type through solutions from companies like Tekelec; 2) Traffic optimization tools for data- ...read more

Consumer viewership of online video has dramatically increased in the past few years, and this trend will continue in 2012, according to a research note from Parks Associates. Parks said that this trend will impact ARPU and overall revenues for pay-TV operators and resonate throughout the content ecosystem in 2012. In the past twelve months alone, a full 12.7% of U.S. pay-TV subscribers downgraded their pay-TV service.

That does not mean that pay-TV operators will stand idly ...read more

Pay-TV operators, with content relationships firmly in place, are in a good position to leap into the breach with a service that provides streaming, access to Web and cloud-based services via new access devices like connected CE.

"The sands are shifting as expanding numbers of households access their TV-displayed content online," said Tricia Parks, CEO at Parks Associates. "Methods include smart TVs and a host of connected devices, several of which are in a high-growth traje ...read more

Adoption and ARPU for three-screen (TV/PC/cell phone) subscription video packages, including single-play services, bundled packages and stand-alone OTT services is on the rise, according to new research from Parks Associates.

The research firm surveyed users in the UK and the US, and found differences in the two markets. In the UK, which enjoys the second-highest average download speeds in Europe at 3.1 Mbps, 17% of UK pay-TV households with broadband have downgraded their p ...read more

Following its increasing adoption in the US, the concept of TV Everywhere is now proliferating across Europe according to new research by Parks Associates.

The analysts found that households in the UK broadband were the most interested in receiving live TV on an Internet-connected device, with 36% highly positive on this feature. Surprisingly, given the strength of the iPad and Android tablet market in the county, German broadband households showed the lowest interest, with ...read more

Other firms are forecasting robust growth for 3G-enabled tablets. Parks Associates sees sales of tablet computers accelerating as the number of global 3G and 4G wireless subscribers grows. Earlier in the year it predicted that 68 million of the 126 million tablets sold in 2015 will support 3G or 4G technology, more than half. Last year, 29 percent of the 16.5 million tablets contained 3G.

“We are seeing strong consumer engagement in data-intensive services and activities, su ...read more

Even though TV Everywhere is still very much immature, even in North America, research from Park Associates calculates that by mid-2011 the concept will be available to 81% of subscribers in the region. The analyst believes that US TV service providers—in particular Comcast who has been recognised as an early leader with its Fancast Xfinity— have moved aggressively with TV Everywhere and multi-screen services in general regarding them tactical plays to reduce churn and attract y ...read more