TIME

About one-third of internet users stream cable TV without paying for it by using credentials of someone they don’t live with, according to Parks Associates. The TV industry’s losses from password sharing are expected to rise to $9.9 billion by 2021 from $3.5 billion this year, the research firm estimates. That lost revenue is especially important because the pay-TV industry is already losing subscribers to cheaper online rivals like Netflix Inc.

From the article "Cable Compa ...read more

As tech companies vie for control of the television screen, a relatively new entrant is already making big gains.

Google’s Chromecast streaming stick managed to outsell the Apple TV in the first three quarters of 2014, according to research firm Parks Associates. Chromecast comprised 20% of the total sales for streaming devices in the U.S., while Apple TV netted just 17%.

Longtime market leader Roku continues to dominate with 29% of sales, but that’s down from around 45% ...read more

Google has left a bigger mark in hardware through its $13 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility and the still experimental Google Glass, the Internet connected eyewear. Google also has also had some success with Chromecast, a device for connecting televisions to the Internet. Although companies have big hopes for the connected home, consumers are largely oblivious, analysts said. Relatively few know such devices exist and even fewer are willing to pay more to buy one.

“Th ...read more

A special Cyber Monday deal on the Amazon Kindle Fire — $129, down from the usual $159— led to record-breaking sales for the unit. Virtually every retailer has been offering promotions on tablets, ranging from Apple (free engraving on iPads, curiously enough) to sub-$100 “doorbuster” type prices on the most basic 7-inch tablets at Best Buy, Walmart, and other stores. New tablets including the iPad Mini, the Google Nexus 7, and the Microsoft Surface have also drawn the attention ...read more

To some extent, all the major pay TV providers offer some form of TV Everywhere services already. As Home Media Magazine noted, though, very few subscribers are aware that these services exist. According a new study by Parks Associates, only about 20% of pay TV subscribers know that their provider offers TV Everywhere:

“Is anybody watching these [TV Everywhere] services? Do they even know that these services are available?” asked Parks senior analyst Brett Sappington. “What ...read more

A new survey by Parks Associates found that 87 percent of respondents who own an iPhone 4S use at least one feature of Apple’s virtual assistant software on a monthly basis. Still, those users mainly stick to initiating phone calls or dictating text messages with Siri.

Other services are less popular. Roughly one third of respondents said they’d never asked Siri to play music or schedule a meeting, and 30 percent said they hadn’t used Siri for e-mail. Of the 482 iPhone 4S ow ...read more

"McCain is an example of what, under the Clinton Administration, used to be called the digital divide. Back then it was the cause of much gnashing of political teeth; in his 2000 State of the Union address, Clinton announced a "national crusade" to take the Internet to those who didn't have it. That year 41.5% of Americans were online, according to U.S. Census numbers. This past May a survey by the research firm Parks Associates found that 82% are. The off-line American has gone ...read more

Twitch athletes like Fatal1ty are trying to make a claim on sports programming and its rich merchandising spin-offs. There's already a built-in audience, and it's global. In 2006, combined sales of video and PC games hit $13.5 billion, a record for the industry and more than $4.5 billion above Hollywood's total box-office receipts. Competitive gaming is currently insignificant in that universe, with sales between $15 million and $20 million, according to industry consulting firm ...read more