Variety

Apple TV needs a refresh, and pronto, if new numbers from Parks Associates are to be believed. The market research outlet reported Friday that Apple TV slipped to fourth place on the list of most-sold streaming devices in 2014.

That list was led by Roku, with 34% of all U.S. consumers who bought a streaming device opting either for a Roku streaming box or stick in 2014. No. 2 was Google with 23%; 14% of consumers opted for a device made by a company other than Apple, Amazon, ...read more

Netflix, HBO and other Internet video-subscription providers are theoretically leaving megabucks on the table from customers nefariously sharing login info with nonpaying users. So why aren’t they aggressively trying to block the millions of freeloaders gorging on “Game of Thrones” or “Orange Is the New Black”?

Illicit password-sharing would appear to be a serious issue for subscription VOD players: The practice will cost the sector upwards of $500 million worldwide in 2015, ...read more

Roku, which launched its first Internet streaming player in 2008, has held its ground amid the competitive pressure. In 2014, Roku was the leading streaming-device brand with 29% market share of U.S. sales, followed by the Google Chromecast USB-size adapter at 20% and Apple TV at 17%, according to research firm Parks Associates. Amazon Fire TV was in fourth place with 10% share.

Last September Roku said it had sold 10 million players in the U.S.; it also sells products in th ...read more

Success of streaming media devices, like sticks and players, “hinges in large part on younger consumers’ preference for online VOD,” says Glenn Hower, a research analyst at Parks Associates. “Over 70% of video consumption still occurs on the television. The experience of watching on the big (TV) screen is still a key part of the video-viewing event, and purchasing a streaming device is simply an easier process than the research and price-comparison involved with flat-panel TV pu ...read more

UltraHD provides stunning sharpness, with nearly four times the resolution of 1080p HD. But it’s early days in the evolution of the 4K television market: Just 800,000 UltraHD TVs ship in the U.S. this year, about 2% of 38.5 million total TV sets, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Industry analysts expect adoption to ramp in the coming years, especially as more 4K content hits the market: By 2018, 46 million households worldwide will subscribe to a 4K UHD pay-TV ...read more

“I have a hard time believing we are going to see a mass unbundling of TV networks in the very near future,” Parks Associates analyst Glenn Hower said. “It’s possible we’re making moves toward that, but at the end of the day, networks still get a lot of money from the pay-TV system.”

From the article "With HBO and CBS Cutting the Cord, Which Networks Will Follow Suit?" by Todd Spangler.

The HBO standalone service “will be attractive to some people who are really into ‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Girls,’ but there’s still a pretty sizable number of people who want more than just HBO content,” Parks Associates analyst Glenn Hower said.

From the article "How HBO, CBS Seek Upper Hand in Pay-TV Deals with OTT Moves" by Todd Spangler.

But time is a tricky metric. Consider a damning Parks Associates estimate made in June that found a declining percentage in the number of Chromecast users using the device at least once a month. Google responded the following month at its I/O conference with a different data point suggesting the total number of minutes Chromecast is being used shot up 40% from last year.

Both points could be true: While the overall number of Chromecast buyers are using it less, the core user ...read more