"pay TV" articles

I just finished attending AT&T’s annual industry analyst summit. This two-day event provides the analyst community a first-hand, interactive experience with AT&T’s leadership team. As usual, the event not only offered the latest visions from AT&T, but also allowed us to hear and probe AT&T’s reasoning and approaches behind their initiatives. Here are the five things that I believe AT&T has done differently, and better, than its archrival Verizon....

Credential (password) swapping has become a popular form of piracy in the connected world, one that has received little attention from service providers and content owners when compared to other forms of piracy like signal piracy, physical media piracy, and file sharing. Credential sharing has a measurable impact on video services, particularly in the OTT video service area, which impacts young subscribers most substantially. The impact on OTT video revenues— an estimated $500 million...

According to a recent article in Multichannel News , Verizon Communications has signed a multiplatform deal that will allow the telecom to offer HBO's streaming video service, HBO Now, to more than 100 million of Verizon's digital customers, as well as to non-Verizon mobile device owners. Verizon will offer HBO on its mobile-first video service and to stand-alone broadband customers for $15 a month. According to Parks Associates director of research Brett Sappington , at the...

Parks Associates director of research Brett Sappington provides insight and commentary on the future acquisition of DIRECTV by AT&T : The merger did not really diminish competition in the U.S. market. Approval was widely expected. The bigger impact is clearly outside of the U.S., where AT&T is now making investments to build upon DIRECTV’s existing position in Central and South America. We expect AT&T to quickly roll out new voice,...

Today, Parks Associates announced new research that revealed nearly 60% of U.S. broadband households subscribe to an OTT video subscription, but account sharing is a lingering challenge. According to a 3Q 2014 survey of U.S. broadband households, 8% are using a subscription OTT video account held by someone outside of their home, and 6% are exclusively using shared accounts to access subscription OTT video content. This finding equates to 11% of all households that are relying...

Over the past year, OTT video services experienced a boom of activity across most global markets, including expansion for existing players and a new wave of market entrants.   Netflix has driven the growth of OTT video services and a new wave of emerging competitors more than any other single company. By the end of 2014, the company reached over 54 million total paying subscribers, adding over 6 million subscribers in the U.S. alone. Startup players, emboldened by Netflix’s...

In a recent article for D Magazine , Parks Associates research revealed the increasing popularity of on-demand video platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Author Phil Harvey cited the results of a recent Parks Associates customer study , which shows over 55% of U.S. broadband households subscribe to over-the-top (OTT) services. Additionally, the increasing popularity of these services is leading to major changes in the way that viewers watch television. This...

Mio Babic , President & CEO at iStreamPlanet , offers insight into how OTT services are the key to the home entertainment market: What is the most important next step to engage consumers in smart home solutions, connected entertainment services, and/or value-added services like tech support and connected health?      The next step in the transition from traditional television broadcast to connected OTT services is to provide a consistent,...