In The News

A new report by Parks Associates reveals that it’s likely 43% of all broadband households in the U.S. paying for traditional TV will switch to streaming options within the next 12 months. The main reason? Cable is too expensive. There’s big incentive for TV subscribers to cut the cord in favor of Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors like Hulu + Live, YouTube TV, Sling, and more, with cost being just one of the reasons.

The Parks research shows that 17% of vMVP ...read more

A new study from Parks Associates reveals that a whopping 43% of households are planning to switch to vMVPDs this year, a category I’m willing to bet few of them were even aware of a year or two ago, a supposition backed up by a further finding from the same study that reports 17% of current vMVPD subscribers made the switch during the last 12 months.

From the article "Wolk’s Week in Review: Is anyone paying for Flixes, vMVPDs get hot (for now)" by Alan Wolk.

Across the span of consumer electronics, people over 55 get short shrift, often seen as caricatures of frailty or a market that doesn't look sexy in a startup's funding presentation. But the over-55 market composes one of health tech's biggest white spaces. "There needs to be much more focus on developing great technology for seniors," says Jenniifer Kent, Senior Director at Parks Associates.

From the article "Home health tech you need to watch in 2021" by Brian Cooley.

COVID-19 led to renewed validation of legacy telephony technologies as voice calls “address the universal need for communication and social connection, providing a lifeline for everyday life, work, and relationships,” said a Tuesday Parks Associates white paper.

The combination of shelter-in-place, work-from-home, school-from-home and other home-based lifestyles during the pandemic has driven “dramatic upticks in voice calling in all its forms,” according to telecom provider ...read more

Sure enough, this has spurred a lot of “hoppers,” or consumers who cancel and re-subscribe repeatedly to many different apps. Netflix releases a new season of “Cobra Kai,” so they binge that one month, then switch to whatever’s on Disney+ for the next billing cycle. As of the third quarter, 61% of U.S. households subscribed to two or more streaming services, while a third of hoppers subscribed to five or more, according to industry researcher Parks Associates. But 17% of hoppers ...read more

A Parks Associates analysis reported that SVOD churn rate dropped from 46% in third quarter 2019 to 38% in third quarter 2020. Among recent launches, the churn rate of Disney+ was at 13%, and HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Peacock all had churn rates at around 20%. The more established Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu all had churn rates significantly below the industry average. Steve Nason, the Research Director at Parks Associates, notes with COVID-19, and consumers home bound, t ...read more

It’s a “burden” on do-it-yourself smart home consumers to have to know and understand the various smart home protocols, said Raya Sevilla, ADT senior vice president-product, at Parks Associates’ Thursday virtual Connections conference, a partner program to CES.

From the article "Smart Home Systems Need 'Simpler' Setup, Smooth Integration, Parks Event Told" by Rebecca Day.

Addison-based Parks Associates, a market research and consulting company that specializes in emerging consumer technology products and services, has promoted three of its key personnel.

Dr. Jennifer Kent has been promoted to VP of Research, Jason Paris to VP of Business Development and Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein to VP of Marketing. According to Parks Associates, the promotions represent its continued growth after 35 years in business.

“Jennifer, Jason, and Mindi Sue ...read more