MACTECH

New data from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) says that 64% of U.S. broadband households have an Internet-connected CE (consumer electronic) device and 55% have an OTT [over-the-top] service subscription. This is an area poised for strong growth following HBO's announcement that it will launch a stand-alone HBO Go service, notes the research group.

"The HBO OTT service announcement should not really be a surprise given the overall trends in the video service space ...read more

New data from the Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) research group says 37% of U.S. broadband households regularly use transactional services for OTT [over the top] video, such as online video rentals and downloads.

The vast majority of consumers making these a la carte purchases also have a streaming video subscription, emphasizing the potential role of transactional services to supplement subscription OTT. For example, approximately two-thirds of Amazon Instant Vi ...read more

New data from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) shows 46% of U.S. broadband households have a game console connected to the Internet and over one-quarter (28%) use the connected gaming console as their primary connected CE device. Among these primary console users, roughly three-quarters use the gaming console to access non-gaming content online at least weekly, and nearly 40% access such content for more than 10 hours per week.

"Gaming consoles are the most frequen ...read more

Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) says the importance of interoperability for consumers increases with each smart home device purchased. Currently 13% of U.S. broadband households own at least one smart home device, and 60% of those who have purchased three devices feel it is very important for the devices to work together as part of a system, says the research group.

"Smart home products are entering the market through a variety of channels, often separate from any ...read more

Apple’s iMessage is the fourth most popular messaging app, according to new data from the Parks Associates research group. Facebook Messenger, Skype, and SnapChat are ahead of it.

Among messaging app users, 53% use Facebook Messenger, and 45% use Skype,” says Tejas Mehta, research analyst, Parks Associates. “These two apps are dominant in this high-growth area. At the beginning of 2014, 34% of U.S. smartphone owners used a messaging app on a monthly basis. The difficulty, es ...read more

New digital health research from Parks Associates shows nearly 50% of California broadband households have used at least one online service offered by their doctors, compared to 42% nationally.

The research group's results are based on a 2Q 2014 nationwide survey of more than 5,000 U.S. broadband households, in advance of the firm’s inaugural Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers (www.connectedhealthsummit.com), taking place Sept. 4-5 at the Omni Hotel in San Diego.

...read more

New data from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) finds that roughly 25% of U.S. broadband households with smart home devices experience problems monthly. As a result, interest in tech support services among smart home device owners is strong-57% of consumers with an IP security camera and 58% of consumers with a smart electronic door lock or thermostat would value tech support services for these solutions.

"Smart home packages currently hold broad appeal among U.S. c ...read more

New data from Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com) says that nearly 4% of U.S. households will have a smart home controller by the end of 2014, with an estimated increase to nearly 6% by 2015.

The research group's study, which includes data from a 1Q 2014 survey of 10,000 U.S. broadband households, also reports 64% of all smart devices currently in households operate as part of a security or home controls system. Smart devices include motorized door controls, lighting ...read more