Roku Beats Apple TV In Homes With Streaming Media Devices

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

About 14% of all households have a streaming media device, twice the number that had one two years ago, research firm Parks Associates says today. But the most interesting finding in its new report on trends in connected TV is that relatively tiny Roku handily beats the mighty Apple among people who own a streaming video media device. Some 37% go with Roku vs 24% who “primarily use” Apple TV, the company found in a survey of 10,000 U.S. broadband households early this year. The company expects worldwide sales of 330M connected TV devices — including smart TVs, gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, and streaming video media devices — in 2017, twice the number it says likely will be sold this year. Even though more TV sets will include Internet connectivity, Parks’ Barbara Kraus says that people will still buy separate devices including ones from Roku, Apple TV, and Google’s $35 Chromecast because they “offer innovations such as streaming video at low prices.” But with the average price for these devices likely to plummet, manufacturers and service providers will have to pick up the slack with “new and recurring revenue streams in advertising and content placement.”