Roku and Apple seem to have a strangle hold on the US digital streaming market as far as little black magic boxes go that deliver the content. Roku, apparently, has the upper hand at the moment, according to data provided by Parks Associates. Parks Associates is a research and analysis company selling reports and analysis of what consumers are watching and using through the little black box transmitting devices. The popularity of streaming media increases as more homes focus in on the content available.

Google was a major player in the market, however, their share is now slowly declining. Other competitors in this market like TiVo, Netgear, and Sony, are also showing decreased shares in percentage from a high of 32 percent down to 28 percent. Worldwide, Apple still holds a substantial lead over Roku, at 20 million units sold compared to Roku’s eight million units. Amazon Prime has jumped into the streaming media fray. This may cause Apple to perk up a bit and take notice with more aggressive actions in this highly competitive arena.

Another report from Parks Associates shows more than 25 percent of American households will own a streaming media device by the year 2015. Roku is outpacing Apple at this point by almost a 2 to 1 margin. The percentage of Roku devices used in the United States is at 46 percent, while Apple’s shares is only at 26 percent. The primary reason for this gap is the close association between Netflix and Roku, with Roku offering 1,700 channel applications, different models to choose from with different features and price points for those models. Apple has not aggressively pursued the US market with little support or promotion for its Apple TV, and this seems to be the weak point in its sales.

From the article "Streaming Media Increases in Popularity" by Andrew Towle.

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