Cable Spotlight

Parks Associates (News - Alert) noted in a recent survey that adoption of streaming media players has increased to nearly 20 percent of U.S. broadband households, up from 14 percent in 2012. As of the first quarter 2014, ownership of Chromecast is holding steady at approximately 6 percent.

However, monthly usage rates for the gadget were slightly lower than the last two quarters of 2013. The percentage of Chromecast owners who use the device at least monthly to view Web page ...read more

Parks Associates (News - Alert), in its “360 View: Entertainment Services in US Broadband Households” report, found that a full 81percent of U.S. broadband households still choose the TV set for the majority of their video consumption, while 60 percent watch content on a computer. Thirty-one percent said they watch video on a smartphone, and 28 percent watch on a tablet. The PC was the only platform to show any significant decline in video viewing in the past year.

The firm ...read more

A survey from Parks Research has found that consumers expect the same TV user experience throughout their home, regardless of whether the service is offered over the top (OTT), a managed terrestrial operator network, satellite or other delivery mechanism. Expectations also remain the same regardless of the receiving device, including set-top box or connected CE device.

The connected home research further found that users want all of the bells and whistles of a traditional pa ...read more

Parks Associates, a research firm, released a new report on Tuesday detailing smart TV owners. The study reveals that 26 percent of U.S. broadband households own a smart TV, while 46 percent own at least one set-top box. The study also found that 63 percent of smart TV owners connect the set to the Internet, while 79 percent of smart TV owners use the TV to watch premium online video every month.

The research was conducted ahead of the 17th annual “CONNECTIONS: The Premier C ...read more

Indeed, according to Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates, fully one-third of U.S. consumers in broadband households find remote control of lights, appliances, and thermostats via Web-enabled devices very appealing. Nearly 50 percent find email/text notification of smoke, fire, water, or gas leaks very appealing.

With the popularity of smartphones, tablets, and other Web-enabled devices, consumers are carrying a link to their home systems. Widespread availability of b ...read more