Variety

Two out of three U.S. households with broadband Internet access stream music or other forms of audio programming from the internet, according to a new study by Parks Associates.

Forty percent of all U.S. households access only free audio streaming services online and 26% have access to a paid music service, according to the market research company.

However, the most popular music service may surprise you: 10% of all broadband households have access to Amazon Prime Music, ...read more

Regardless of who owns how much of the pie, the growing popularity of Internet streaming is changing how consumers are listening to music. “Wireless speakers, multiroom audio systems, and soundbars constitute a growing home audio segment, which is offsetting declining sales in home theater and traditional audio components,” said Parks analyst Brad Russell. “Together, these three devices will generate $26 billion annually in global sales in 2020.”

From the article "Two Out of ...read more

Apple has been working for some time on a cable killer, and is looking to combine broadcast and select cable networks for a cheaper, better-looking bundle. But that isn’t the extent of the company’s content ambitions: As Variety reported exclusively, the company has even made overtures to execs in Hollywood about producing its own original programming, with the goal of building out a production unit that could one day churn out TV shows or even movies.

But no Apple originals ...read more

Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins chalked up the exceptions to rights held by studios on select series. “They have other commitments that they couldn’t free them up for a complete commercial-free offering,” he said, adding that the service will clearly delineate the exceptions to users before they stream those series.

Other series that will have pre-roll include four ABC series: “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Agents of SHIELD,” and an NBC series, “ ...read more

Apple TV needs a refresh, and pronto, if new numbers from Parks Associates are to be believed. The market research outlet reported Friday that Apple TV slipped to fourth place on the list of most-sold streaming devices in 2014.

That list was led by Roku, with 34% of all U.S. consumers who bought a streaming device opting either for a Roku streaming box or stick in 2014. No. 2 was Google with 23%; 14% of consumers opted for a device made by a company other than Apple, Amazon, ...read more

Netflix, HBO and other Internet video-subscription providers are theoretically leaving megabucks on the table from customers nefariously sharing login info with nonpaying users. So why aren’t they aggressively trying to block the millions of freeloaders gorging on “Game of Thrones” or “Orange Is the New Black”?

Illicit password-sharing would appear to be a serious issue for subscription VOD players: The practice will cost the sector upwards of $500 million worldwide in 2015, ...read more

Roku, which launched its first Internet streaming player in 2008, has held its ground amid the competitive pressure. In 2014, Roku was the leading streaming-device brand with 29% market share of U.S. sales, followed by the Google Chromecast USB-size adapter at 20% and Apple TV at 17%, according to research firm Parks Associates. Amazon Fire TV was in fourth place with 10% share.

Last September Roku said it had sold 10 million players in the U.S.; it also sells products in th ...read more

Success of streaming media devices, like sticks and players, “hinges in large part on younger consumers’ preference for online VOD,” says Glenn Hower, a research analyst at Parks Associates. “Over 70% of video consumption still occurs on the television. The experience of watching on the big (TV) screen is still a key part of the video-viewing event, and purchasing a streaming device is simply an easier process than the research and price-comparison involved with flat-panel TV pu ...read more