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Instability in pay-TV through the evolution in video has been at the top of concerns across cable, but the fall in subscribers isn’t totally unexpected considering other shifts in the US. Industry researchers are finally getting the chance to look back and decipher when consumer behavior began to change.

“A lot of what’s going on is no one really knows what the rules are anymore,” Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Park Associates, said at NCTC’s Winter Educati ...read more

Mainstream consumers don’t seem eager to connect their garage doors and light bulbs to the internet, according to data presented by research firm Parks Associates during a Tuesday webcast. With ease of installation and use a chief concern among prospective users of IoT-enabled smart home devices, ISPs could play a role in moving the category forward.

The connected thermostat leads smart home devices with penetration into 11% of US households, with other devices yet to crack ...read more

While a variety of global technology and market trends are reshaping the face of the TV industry, some have a unique impact on the design, marketing, and uptake of premium services. Those that involve major shifts in the business or revenues of pay TV are causing significant market disruptions, as are trends that define substantial changes in viewing habits. Not all of these disruptions work against the uptake of premium video services—several serve to encourage consumer use or ...read more

As the clock counts down and closes out 2015, executives throughout the television and film industries will snuggle down in their beds thinking of the fast-paced year that has just passed. Just before they drift off into a peaceful slumber, unsettling thoughts will cross their minds–the “What Ifs” of 2016.

With a new set of risks, opportunities, competitors, and regulatory issues, life is not easy as a video industry executive. Here are a few key areas that will continue to ...read more

Google’s $35 streaming dongle Chromecast made a big splash when it launched last summer, but usage of the device appears to be declining even as adoption of streaming media players is on the rise, according to Parks Associates. The firm’s new report found 20% of US broadband HHs had a streaming media player at the end of 1Q, up from 14% in 2012.

Parks, which surveyed 10K US broadband HHs, found Chromecast ownership was steady at around 6%, but monthly usage rates are slightl ...read more

For pay-TV providers looking to get into the OTT video space, there are a couple of options: partnering with an existing OTT service provider like Netflix; acquiring an existing service provider; or launching their own services. Two Parks Associates analysts offered a risk/incentives assessment of those options during a Webinar Thursday and addressed opportunities and challenges going forward.

Partnering is the lowest costs/risk option, said Brett Sappington, director of re ...read more

The battle between Microsoft and Sony has officially started as Xbox One went on sale in 13 countries on November 22. According to Microsoft, 1 million devices were sold within 24 hours. Sony's PS4 went on sale in North America a week before and 1 million consoles were sold within 1 day.

Many had expected a higher sales number from Microsoft given its bigger launch market. Moving forward, holiday shoppers might favor Sony's console over Xbox One, according to Parks Associate ...read more

TV is still king among consumers, but online video continues to gain a foothold. Parks Associates recently analyzed the online video world and reports that roughly 40% of broadband households watch long-form video on a computer. And the amount of time watching video on a PC each week is substantial—about 4 hours.

From the article, "A Look at What Viewers are Watching Online" by Amy Maclean