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

Samsung Leads in U.S. Smart TV Ownership

Parks Associates research finds that Samsung and LG combine to capture more than half of the U.S. smart TV market. According to consumer technology research firm Parks Associates, the majority of U...

Technical Support Needs are Influenced by Number of Devices in the Home

Parks Associates’ data finds consumers’ top five actions after experiencing technical problems with smart home devices are DIY steps, not seeking professional support. Parks Associates is a market...

Streaming power players and modern ecosystem dynamics: Lee

For about a third of US internet households, a top 5 consideration for future purchases is what platform the smart TV runs on, per Parks Associates. (Midjourney for StreamTV Insider) Parks Associat...

Survey: US spend on standalone mobile, internet, pay-TV rises

Parks Associates’ latest Home Services Dashboard reveals that US consumers who do not bundle their home services reported an increase in their monthly spending from Q3 2023 to Q3 2024. The research fi...