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

CES: 50% of flat-panel shoppers seeking 4K capability

Parks Associates announced new European research today at CES 2016 showing that over 50% of households in the UK, France, Germany and Spain planning to buy a flat-panel TV in the next 12 months consid...

How CES Got Its Nerd Back: Drones, Virtual Reality And Tinkerers Putting Sensors In Everything

CES got its nerd back. And that means it's the startups and tinkerers putting sensors in everything that are bringing the wonder back to the show. “I think disruption across industries in tech has...

33% Subscribe To OTT In UK

33% of UK broadband households subscribed to an OTT video service as of 3Q 2015, according to Parks Associates. The same study shows that only 15% of UK households with pay-TV subscribe to premium...

Average US Monthly SVOD Spend Tops $6, Says Report

The figures come from a new research report by Parks Associates, which explains that, while a typical price point for a subscription service is $7-$10, several niche services are available for under $...