Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Parks: 89% of U.S. Households Have a Streaming Video Subscription

Parks Associates research sees an uptick of subscription streaming services among U.S. households, led by streaming video, retail memberships, and streaming audio, while 20% of households have a gaming subscription, outpacing gym memberships.

Citing data from a new consumer study of 8,000 U.S. internet households, Parks found that 89% of households have a streaming video service, and 32% subscribe to a streaming audio service. One in five internet households subscribe to a gaming service, while 16% have a gym membership.

“The evolution of hardware to a service model and demand to drive engagement and loyalty for brands through apps are driving the rise of subscription services,” Jennifer Kent, VP of research for Parks Associates, said in a statement.

Kent said that Spotify’s premium subscriber adoption is as high as that of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Discovery+ platform, which she said is the ninth-biggest video subscription service.

While many subscription services see adoption drop-offs after age 45, Kent believes that households can absorb the high prices for gaming and fitness services, appearing to prioritize convenience over the cost of streaming services.

Categories that provide entertainment (music, gaming) and convenience (child/baby, meal service) fare particularly well in terms of customer loyalty, according to Parks. The Dallas-based company believes that internet and traditional pay-TV providers, which traditionally have subpar consumer satisfaction scores, can benefit from partnering with — or bundling in — streaming services that garner higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

“Competitive pressure will force market challengers to forge stronger ties, [such as] Walmart+ and Paramount+,” Kent said. “Subscription bundlers should seek offerings that span entertainment, productivity, and convenience.”

From the article, "Parks: 89% of U.S. Households Have a Streaming Video Subscription" by Jennifer Kent

Previously In The News

10 Best IoT Insights and Smart-Home Quotes from Connections 2018

A short woman trips on the way to the podium of the first panel discussion at Connections 2018, produced by smart-home research firm Parks Associates. She snipes, "And I'm a morning person." You know...

Top 5 Home Tech Trends and Opportunities for 2017: From Voice Control to VR

Parks Associates research indicates 40 percent of U.S. smartphone owners use voice-recognition software, generally eclipsing the use of phones for streaming music to speakers or video to a second scre...

Join the Dots!

The Zigbee Alliance and Thread Group say this is the first time developers can confidently use an established, open, and interoperable IoT language over a low-power wireless IP network, which will hel...

Residential fiber is now table stakes for boosting NOI

A recent Parks Associates survey finds that about 4 in 10 U.S multi-dwelling apartment residents say they're open to bundling internet services with their monthly rent. What's more, over three-fourths...