Multichannel News

According to recent research from Parks Associates, over 60% of U.S. broadband households have at least one OTT video service subscription, while Gartner states that by 2019, up to 50% of households will not subscribe to any pay-TV services, and will rely wholly on over-the-top (OTT) based subscription VOD, and free online video. As such, it is vital for pay-TV operators to make additional efforts to maintain their dominance in an increasingly competitive market.

From the ar ...read more

As always, timing is everything. Research published in July by Parks Associates suggests U.S. mobile carriers are shifting their focus from ARPU growth to churn management as new smartphone users become increasingly hard to find. And among the top priorities of smartphone users who consider themselves likely to churn within the next 12 months, according to a Parks survey, is a WiFi element to the mobile service.

From the article "Hybrid WiFi-Cellular Service Is the Future" b ...read more

“According to Parks Associates research, OTT video usage is expanding worldwide with 55 percent of UK broadband households and 51 percent in France watching TV online, compared to 70 percent in the U.S.,” said Aneesh Rajaram, CEO of Opera TV. “Opera TV Snap is the fastest way for broadcasters and VOD services to enter the OTT market. The platform allows them to reach new audiences on the home’s biggest screen, while also enabling content owners to monetize their existing video c ...read more

“Younger consumers are willing to subscribe to pay-TV service, provided the offerings align with their expectations," Ruby-Ren Bond, research analyst at Parks Associates said, in a statement. "In particular, Millennials show higher-than-average affinity for popular culture and premium movie channels as well as programming for younger children.”

Among other findings in the study, Parks Associates said 60% of OTT video services in the North American market are subscription ba ...read more

“First and foremost, we have over the past year and a half focused heavily on disrupting the home security market,” Dan Herscovici, senior vice president and general manager of Xfinity Home, said in an interview soon after he keynoted the Parks Associates Connections conference in San Francisco on Tuesday (May 24).

From the article "Comcast Pursues Bigger Piece Of Smart Home Market" by Jeff Baumgartner.

Many connected products have security weaknesses that leave home Wi-Fi networks vulnerable to being hacked. In fact, 47% of households with broadband Wi-Fi express privacy or security concerns about at least one smart home device (source: Parks Associates). Cirrent provides multiple levels of security and enables products to connect to Wi-Fi outside of a customer’s private network, keeping personal data safe.

From the article "Cirrent Launches Automatic Internet Connection S ...read more

Roku remained the top-selling streaming media player in 2015, accounting for 30% of the units purchased, according to new data from Parks Associates released in tandem with this week’s INTX confab in Boston.

Amazon, maker of the Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick, represented 22% of sales in 2015 (up from 16% in the prior year) as it rose to the number two slot, putting it in a virtual tie with Google, which makes the popular $35 Chromecast streaming adapter.  

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Notably, the highest proportions of those surveyed said they signed up for a sports service via a TV provider, with 63% of NFL Game Pass taking that path, Parks Associates found.

“For sports content owners, OTT is a viable way to expand audience reach, but there are technical issues to consider,” Glenn Hower, research analyst at Parks Associates, said in a statement. “The user experience is of paramount importance to the viewer for sports content. The lead established by th ...read more