Blog articles from 07/2012

Written by Patrice Samuels, Research Analyst Pay-TV operators are all too familiar with the cord shaving and cord cutting phenomena that had their subscribers migrating to online video services like Netflix and Hulu. While the largest pay-TV provider Comcast lost more than 37,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2012, Netflix’s gain of approximately 1.7 million subscribers over the same period made the company the leading subscription video service in the U.S., in terms of...

Over 40% of U.S. consumers with a media tablet use the device to check listings while watching TV, according to Parks Associates research. Changing consumer habits are forcing the entertainment industry to shift to digital distribution for movies, music, books, and games. Join Parks Associates for the webcast, Emerging Distribution Models for Online Entertainment , on Thursday, July 26 at 1 PM Central as research analyst Pietro Macchiarella presents new research showing how consumers...

Amazon made two important game-related announcements this week. The online retailer launched its free-to-play game store, which includes big titles like World of Tanks and Battlestar Galactica . Amazon customers can now buy virtual items for these games from their Amazon accounts, once these are linked to each game. This move adds even more content to the retailer's virtual shelves, underlining the increasing relevance of digital distribution of entertainment. Amazon also...

Written by Brett L. Sappington, Director of Research While content brinksmanship between pay-TV carriers and content owners over carriage fees is nothing new. The recent conflicts between DISH and AMC and between DirecTV and Viacom  appear to have taken the face-off to new heights...though perhaps new "depths" might be a more accurate statement from a consumer perspective. The networks maintain that their current approach to channel carriage fees is good for...

By Jim O’Neill, Parks Associates Research Analyst DirecTV is the latest operator to dig its heels in a carriage fee battle. This time, Viacom, and its 26 channels on the operator’s lineup, is the protagonist. The tune may have changed, but the song remains the same: DirecTV claims Viacom is asking for an unreasonable increase in carriage fees; Viacom, of course, claims big traffic numbers and says it’s simply trying to bring DirecTV in line with the prices the content owner...

Best Buy has recently opened its first Connected Store in Richfield. The store has new additions in order to engage customers: a Genius Bar-like tech support center, called the Geek Squad Solution Central, employees with advice on pricey stoves, and rooms where home theater geeks can design their ultimate entertainment centers. Best Buy’s hope for the Connected stores is to emphasize high-end service in a smaller floor space. This is because Best Buy plans to close 50 big boxes...

Written by Brett L. Sappington, Director of Research In a move that will be welcome by home fans throughout the nation, the NFL announced that it will be changing its television blackout rules . Previously, broadcasters and pay-TV providers could not broadcast local games unless the local team sold out the stadium in advance of game time (or the NFL granted an exception). The NFL has changed this policy to where teams can opt to lower the sell out threshold to 85% of the seats...

Don't miss this chance to hear the panel of network service providers (NSP) market professionals providing insight into into the opportunities & challenges with OTT service integration. Download the presentation and audio recording of the webcast: OTT Services: Moving from Integration to Revenues previously hosted by Parks Associates and Technicolor on June 14th. Listen how value-added services increase subscriber satisfaction and contribute to the bottom line...