Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Streaming wars will force media companies to choose between pricey subscriptions and ads

Parks Associates, a research firm that tracks the connected home, found in a recent survey that one-third of U.S. broadband households use a free, ad-based streaming service, up from 24% a year earlier.

“Consumers are turning to ad-supported streaming services as subscription fatigue continues to settle in,” Brandon Riney, a researcher at Parks, told CNBC in an email. “When discussing attitudes regarding ads on these streaming services, more consumers are willing to endure the ads to watch the content than completely resisting them.”

“As the purse strings of OTT consumers tighten, there is tremendous opportunity for free ad-based services to thrive,” wrote Steve Nason, an analyst at Parks Associates, in a post in November. “A service can establish a foothold in this space by delivering a unique offering of high-quality content in an engaging advertising-based environment.”

From the article "Streaming wars will force media companies to choose between pricey subscriptions and ads" by Megan Graham.

Previously In The News

Device UI Important to Consumers When Making a Purchase: Parks

Parks Associates' research found that an easy-to-navigate UI is crucial for attracting new customers. Asked about UI, 70% of consumer electronics purchasers said ease-of-use was "very important" to th...

Hulu CEO Believes Live TV Will Help Platform Stand Out From Streaming Crowd

If everything goes according to plan, the package will include major sports and news networks, as well as broadcast and general entertainment cable networks. Local broadcast affiliates are also likely...

Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu Rule: 59% in U.S. Have a Subscription

Among U.S. broadband-enabled homes, 59 percent have a subscription to Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu. While it's no surprise that those are the most popular streaming video options, research from Parks Asso...

Bluetooth 5 Is Out: Now Will Home IoT Take Off?

Range has quadrupled in Bluetooth 5, so users shouldn’t have to worry about getting closer to their smart devices in order to control them. Also, things like home security systems – one of the most co...