Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

DirecTV is making an Android-powered streaming box. What gives?

“If (AT&T) had a box that came in at $35 or under, consumers would be interested,” Brett Sappington told me. He’s the senior director of research at Parks Associates, which pays extremely close attention to the over-the-top (OTT) — meaning Internet-based TV — space. “They’d buy it just to see if it worked.”

Sappington reasons that a new streaming box isn’t dead on arrival, so long as it has a stellar user interface, is feature-rich, is open to all TV app developers and is relatively cheap. An existing DirecTV Now customer, for instance, may be compelled to test out the company’s box if it promises better streaming performance — say, no buffering during any live streams — and comes with some sort of service-plus-box deal.

From the article "DirecTV is making an Android-powered streaming box. What gives?" by Jennifer Van Grove.

Previously In The News

Apple TV 4K: The One Feature Apple Won’t Add | Nerdy Tech Wishlist

A recent survey by Parks Associates found that less than 15% of Apple TV users regularly engage in gaming on the device, suggesting that enhanced gaming performance isn’t a primary driver for upgrades...

How to Use Ambient Sensing in Smart Lighting for Energy Efficiency

Parks Associates says 6% of US households own smart lighting control systems. From the article, "How to Use Ambient Sensing in Smart Lighting for Energy Efficiency" by Mark Westlake

State of the Market: The Future of Intrusion & Smart Home

According to Parks Associates nearly 50 percent of the residential security market is now inclusive of some DIY or Ship-Self-Install product — a camera, doorbell, system or otherwise. From the arti...

Here’s a Tip to Companies: Beware of Promoting AI in Products

A separate new study from market-research firm Parks Associates that used different methods and included a much larger sample size came to similar conclusions about consumers’ reaction to AI in pr...