Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers

According to research firm Parks Associates, the majority of those surveyed indicated that they are not willing to share data collected from wearable devices, even if it meant receiving a discount on their health insurance premiums. In spite of this reluctance, these same consumers were willing to share data for the purpose of troubleshooting the devices themselves.

The results of the survey varied significantly by device. Forty-two percent of digital pedometer owners were willing to share data in order to receive a health insurance discount; for smartwatch owners the total was 35 percent; and for sleep-quality monitor owners it was 26 percent. Nevertheless, a solid majority of device owners was not willing to share data.

Consumers are justified in their concerns about health data privacy. The Los Angeles Times told in July of a security breach in October 2014 where hackers compromised UCLA Health Systems’ computer network, putting 4.5 million patients’ sensitive data at risk. What was troubling about the incident was that it took nearly seven months from the time suspicious activity was discovered in October, to May 5, which is when investigators determined the system was hacked. Additionally troubling was that the data was not even encrypted.

From the article "Survey: Consumers Prefer Keeping Wearable Device Data from Insurers" by Christopher Mohr.

Previously In The News

Study: Netflix Has Lowest Churn Rate Among OTT Services

Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Parks Associates, said: “Several factors contribute to OTT video service churn by consumers. In some instances, consumers are experimenting with new se...

Report: U.S. OTT Adoption Up 12 Percent

OTT video service adoption has increased 12 percent among U.S. broadband households since 2014, according to Parks Associates data. Parks Associates notes that adoption of OTT video subscriptions h...

Sling TV, Showtime, CBS Gaining Ground in OTT Share

Parks Associates has updated its top 10 list for subscription OTT video services, based on the number of subscribers, with Netflix holding the lead spot while Sling TV, Showtime and CBS moved up or en...

How Tubi TV Plans To Take On The AVOD Market

Tubi TV knows that not everyone wants to pay for premium content. “We see a strong desire among viewers who want free content, whether they’re viewers in search of value or subscription viewers who...