In the first three quarters of 2014, 10% of U.S. broadband homes purchased a streaming device, according to data from Parks Associates. Google commanded 20% of those sales, while Amazon accounted for only 10%. Of course, Fire TV Stick was not released until the fourth quarter, so sales were generated by the more expensive Fire TV box.

Both Amazon and Google found themselves behind market leader Roku, which claimed 29% of sales, down significantly from the previous year. It appears these new entrants are gaining market share, and Roku introduced its own stick in March 2014 (selling at $39.99 for the holiday). The other major player in streaming devices, Apple, does not have a low-cost option, only the $99 Apple TV, which may explain why its market share slipped from 2013.

For Amazon and Google, it is not about how many units they have sold so far but how many they can sell in this exploding market.

"More than 25% of U.S. broadband households will have a streaming media player by 2015, and by 2017, there will be nearly 50 million streaming media players sold globally," Parks Associates Research Director Barbara Kraus said.

From the article "Amazon's Fire TV Stick vs. Google's Chromecast -- Which Should You Choose?" by Daniel B. Kline.

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