Providing market intelligence for more than 35 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

Broadband Growth Slowing After COVID-19-Driven Surge: Parks

After “massive growth" in adoption of residential internet during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. broadband growth slowed in 2022 as the “low-hanging fruit has already been picked,” said Parks Associates...

Roku is Making TV Speakers, But They Only Work with Roku TVS

The idea behind this is that if your TV sounds better, people will stream more, which is the metric Roku cares most about, Klarke says. Roku likes to say that it's the US's number one streaming conten...

COVID-19 Spurred AVOD's Growth Amid Flurry of Big Media Plays, Parks Event Told

Ad-supported VOD services are playing a pivotal role in delivering a relaxed, “tension-free” viewing experience during the pandemic's “troubling times,” Parks Associates analyst Steve Nason told his c...

Local News Sources Losing Ground To Live Streaming From Social Media

A growing number of U.S. broadband households is spending more time watching user generated live content on social media, according to a new industry report from Parks Associates. The growth in this s...