Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Paid streaming for cheapskates is having a moment

“This is a lot of catalog content,” says Parks Associates entertainment research director Michael Goodman, using industry shorthand for titles making up Hollywood’s back catalogs.

“There is not one business model that fits everybody,” says Goodman. Adding ad-free streaming to its portfolio is a smart move for Roku, he argues. “You need to have multiple platforms to reach the consumer.”

If Howdy catches on, other free streamers may follow with their own paid plans, predicts Goodman. “There is potential for this to expand to other services.”

“Subscription growth at any cost — that’s not the model today,” says Goodman, alluding to the billions of dollars the industry poured into streaming a few years ago.

When services like Apple TV Plus and Peacock launched in 2019 and 2020, respectively, they bet on undercutting Netflix with deeply discounted subscription plans — only to double the costs of those plans in the following years.

Could the same eventually happen to Howdy subscribers? Goodman thinks so. “Over time, the price will rise,” he says.

From the article, "Paid streaming for cheapskates is having a moment" by Janko Roettgers

Previously In The News

What Google's Project Fi Means For Mobile Operators

Research published by analyst firm Parks Associates last month revealed that two thirds of U.S. consumers who are likely to switch carriers in the next year felt access to Wi-Fi as part of their mobil...

Roku Posts More Stellar Results In Q2 As Stock Price Continues To Surge

its earnings release, Roku cited data from Kantar Milward Brown anointing it the No. 1 TV streaming platform in the U.S. by hours streamed. According to a survey by Strategy Analytics, the Roku operat...

A scan of new data from around the world

According to Parks Associates' research, 72% of non-pay-TV subscribers subscribe to an OTT video service, which is their primary source for content. Just less than half of broadband households in the...

The Fresh Faces Of Streaming: How Will Existing Services Fare As Big-Budget Competitors Enter The Fray?

As of this writing, there are 235 over-the-top [OTT] video services available in the U.S., according to market tracker Parks Associates. And even though customers are increasingly doing away with thei...