Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Roku OS Missing Features Explained: Discovery and Developer Limits

Roku's market position has a way of making the platform look more capable than it is. Across U.S. broadband households, Roku OS accounts for 28% of connected TV platform usage, ahead of Samsung Tizen at 23%, with Amazon Fire TV, LG webOS, and Vizio SmartCast trailing at a distance, according to Parks Associates research.    

Parks Associates Director Michael Goodman puts the stakes plainly: operating systems determine what content consumers see, how services are positioned, and how advertising is delivered. With AI-driven search and  personalization becoming the new competitive standard for TV operating systems, the firm argues that platform control will only matter more in the years ahead. This is the context in which Roku's specific shortcomings land.           

What they may not yet prove is that Roku has closed the gap on the deeper AI-driven discovery layer Parks Associates identifies as the next competitive frontier. The firm argues that AI-driven personalization, the kind that doesn't just catalog content but anticipates it, is where platform competition is heading. Roku's What to Watch feature aggregates titles across services, which is useful.

Roku's 28% share is stable and its value proposition is real. According to Parks Associates, the platform earns its position for a wide range of users, particularly those who primarily want free content, simple setup, and a reliable experience without active management. Nothing in this analysis changes that.

Parks Associates projects that AI-driven personalization will become the standard competitive axis for TV operating systems in the coming years, with platform ecosystems growing more consequential as that shift plays out.

From the Cord-Cutters.gadgethacks article, "Roku vs other smart TV platforms: default choice versus deliberate choice

Previously In The News

How utilities can enhance efficiency through consumer rate programs

Too few customers are familiar with their energy-provider’s special rate programs, according to market research firm Parks Associates. With many service providers offering special rates as part of ene...

Does cord cutting REALLY save you money? It now costs $120 a month to subscribe to Netflix, Hulu and the other main streaming services - as platforms hike prices amid fierce competition

A 2022 study from market research firm Parks Associates found a quarter of American households subscribe to nine or more streaming services, while 50 percent are signed up to at least four.  From t...

Most Pirated TV Shows List Spells Trouble for Disney

A study from earlier this year found pirating websites and password sharing could cost providers around $113 billion in the next five years alone. Conducted by Parks Associates, the research found tha...

TVOS wars heated up in 2023

Branded smart TV efforts came as both Roku and Vizio executives suggested this year that the era of the streaming dongle is dead and earlier data from Parks Associates’ found sales of connected TV med...