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The smart speaker is turning out to be one of the most significant of smart-home devices. Already, 26% of U.S. broadband households own at least one smart home device and household penetration of smart speakers alone will reach 50% by 2021, according to Parks Associates. That’s a lot of smart speakers.

On average, 80% of consumers who have shopped using their voice assistant are satisfied and 24% spent more money with the retailer, according to the PwC study.

From the ar ...read more

The study, by Parks Associates, found that more than a quarter (26%) of U.S. broadband households own at least one smart home device, such as smart thermostat, video doorbell or smart door lock.

Of course, not every consumer is taking a just-do-it approach, with a 25% hiring a contractor and 24% having a product installed by the company that sold them the smart device.

From the article "26% Own A Smart Device, 53% Installed It Themselves" by Chuck Martin.

And as a stand-alone device attached to TVs to get streaming services, Roku leads Amazon substantially. According to a report from Parks Associates last year, Roku had a 37% share of the streaming device market, and Amazon had 24%. Google’s Chromecast and AppleTV trail.

From the article "Amazon, Best Buy Team Up On New Smart TV Sets, But Can Alexa Beat Roku?" by  P.J. Bednarski.

“Smart home adjacencies have helped revitalize the traditional security industry, but also create new competition," stated Dina Abdelrazik, research analyst at Parks Associates. "Consumers can create DIY solutions with category devices such as doorbell video cameras and networked cameras, and alternative approaches to systems and monitoring for the security industry, including a new batch of DIY systems, are emerging.”

From the article "Consumers Want Security Systems With R ...read more

In a study that examines live TV viewing, Parks Associates says consumers who have never had pay TV -- so called “cord nevers” -- spend about one-third of their TV viewing time watching live content, primarily from over-the-air TV channels.

Looking at all TV viewing among young consumers 18-34, over one-quarter comes from live TV-video services This includes pay TV, over-the-air channels, and live streaming.

From the article "Live TV Viewing Strong Among Millennials" by ...read more

More than 90% of security dealers offer some form of interactive service and 75% of security sales overall include at least one smart home device, according to the study by Parks Associates.

“The most popular devices are networked video cameras, but new items such as video doorbells and smart door locks are increasing in popularity,” stated Tricia Parks, CEO and founder of Parks Associates. “The safety and security aspect of the system remains the strongest selling point, bu ...read more

According to Brett Sappington, Parks Associates senior director of research, and Hub Entertainment Research president Peter Fondulas at the NCTC Winter Educational Conference, written by Mike Farrell, operators should embrace subscription video-on-demand services, making it easier for younger viewers to access their subscriptions.

From the article "Partner With SVOD Providers For Younger Generation" by Jack Loechner.

The adoption of smart thermostats reached 13% of U.S. broadband households in 2017, according to new research.

This is an increase from 11% in 2016, based on new smart energy research from Parks Associates.

"The steady rise of adoption in smart thermostats comes as multiple sales channels offer and promote these devices," stated Tom Kerber, director, IoT Strategy, Parks Associates.

From the article "13% of Broadband Households Adopt Smart Thermostats" by Chuck Martin ...read more