Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Parks: Nearly Half of U.S. Broadband Homes Have Cut Pay-TV Cord

Parks Associates’ latest data finds that 56 million (46%) of U.S. internet households have severed ties with their premium television provider, underscoring the dominance of streaming video services. Another 12% of U.S. broadband households have never subscribed to any sort of traditional pay-TV.

Parks says service providers are adapting to the secular changes by offering competitive pricing, bundling options, and hybrid monetization strategies. The rise of ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services underscores the demand for lower-cost alternatives, and subscription-based platforms continue to experiment with tiered pricing and content exclusivity to retain customers, according to Parks.

“Cord Nevers represent a unique opportunity for streaming providers,” Jennifer Kent, VP of research at Parks, said in a statement. “By definition, this segment of the market has not paid for traditional TV, but streaming services have found a way to monetize a segment that has not previously valued subscription video or has grown up in a streaming-first market, with different conceptions of what subscription video should be.”

Parks reports that 59% of subscriptions across the eight leading SVOD services — Max, Netflix, Disney+, Discovery+, Paramount+, Prime Video, Hulu and Peacock — are basic with ads.

To achieve profitability and strike a balance for consumers, Parks said the most-popular streaming services now operate under a hybrid model, offering both ad-free and ad-supported plans to viewers. Ad-based tiers are cheaper for consumers and more profitable for businesses, making them a win-win for both parties.

“Consumers are worn down from continued spending increases in streaming, while years of high inflation are driving consumers to pare down accordingly,” Kent said in a statement. “This only intensifies the competition among streaming vendors and will fuel more growth of subscription tiers with ads and free ad-based services.”

From the article, "Parks: Nearly Half of U.S. Broadband Homes Have Cut Pay-TV Cord" by Erik Gruenwedel

Previously In The News

What’s Driving The Growth Of Connected Health Devices?

More than 40 percent of U.S. broadband households now own a Connected Health product, up from 37 percent in 2016 and 33 percent in 2015, notes tech research consultancy Parks Associates. That rep...

PayPal, Starbucks top consumers' mobile payments preferences, study says

Nearly 20 percent of U.S. smartphone users have used a mobile payment app at a retail location, according to new mobile research from Parks Associates. The report, 360 View: Mobility and the App Ec...

Research: over 50% of U.S. broadband households stream content on TV screens

Parks Associates, a market intelligence and consulting company, yesterday released research showing that over 50% of U.S. broadband households stream content on TV screens. “For years, the televisi...

Study: IoT Users May Become Comfortable With Sharing Device Data, For A Price

A Parks Associates study has found that over a quarter of respondents would become more comfortable sharing their data if their devices would "automatically register for warranties and check warranty...