Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

In A Connected World, Why Aren't Smart TVs Very Clever?

Turns out that smart TVs can be, well, pretty dumb. Even moderately priced sets can now connect to the Internet and run Netflix and other apps -- that's the "smart" part. Yet many people are ignoring the built-in features and turning to Apple TV, Roku and other stand-alone streaming devices that often do a better job.

In an August report, the NPD Group estimates that roughly a third of smart TVs in the U.S. weren't actually connected to the Internet. That's down from about half two years earlier, but still not good. Researchers at Parks Associates found that even as more Americans are using smart TV functions, streaming device usage has grown even faster.

"If you're a streaming media box (maker), you've got much more ability to push new features out into the market at an affordable price," says Barbara Kraus, Parks Associates' director of research. "They're very stiff competition for smart TVs."

From the article "In A Connected World, Why Aren't Smart TVs Very Clever?" by Anick Jesdanun and Ryan Nakashima.

Previously In The News

Battle of the Bots: A Truly Useful Helper Is Approaching Fast

For a virtual helpmate to run your life, it needs to engage with the providers of all the services you rely on, from your calendar app to your Uber ride. Those providers must either partner with the c...

Competitive Reality of 5G Threatens Previous-FCC’s Title II Net Neutrality

All this comes together to create a “dramatically” different competitive reality than the FCC’s implicit assumption that fixed broadband and wireless broadband were not competitive substitutes or comp...

Network negotiations: combining content and attracting consumers

In a statement, Discovery revealed its content pipeline will be fuelled by the Scripps acquisition to grow in areas including Discovery’s Home and Health network in Latin America. Parks Associates...

Antennas Get A Good Reception Again

In fact, since 2013, the percentage of broadband households in the nation using only antennas to watch linear TV has jumped from 9 percent to 15 percent, according to data released this month by Parks...