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

Amazon's Alexa Speaks To The Connected Home

The Amazon Echo (more commonly known as “Alexa” based on the keyword voice command that triggers the female-sounding response) came on the market in November of 2014 to generally positive acclaim. The...

Smart Home Devices Slow To Catch On In U.S. Broadband Households

A new IoT research report from Parks Associates revealed that less than 30 percent of U.S. broadband households actually know where to purchase smart home products or services. What's more, about 40 p...

Over 24% Of U.S. Broadband Households Will Have An IP Camera By 2020, Says Research Firm

Smart home applications may still be seen as a novelty, but in-home security is on the rise with Parks Associates forecasting that about 24 percent of U.S. broadband households will have an IP camera...

More Than 50% Of U.S. Broadband Households Will Have A Smart Home Controller By 2020

Parks Associates today announced three new NUMBERS™ products focused on key IoT categories, including U.S. and global forecasts for IP cameras, home security, and smart home controllers through 2020....