A new report says usage of the Google Chromecast is declining even while adoption of other streaming media players is up.
That could be a disturbing trend for Google, which made a big splash last summer when it introduced the $35 streaming media dongle.
Parks Associates said six percent of U.S. households that have broadband Internet service owned a Chromecast during the first quarter. The overall market for streaming media players, including rivals Roku and Apple TV, has increased to 20 percent, up from 14 percent in 2012, the Dallas research firm said.
But a survey of 10,000 broadband households showed usage of Chromecasts was already declining. About 73 percent of Chromecast owners said they watched online video using the device in during the first quarter, compared to 78 percent who did so in the third quarter of 2013.
And during the same period, the percentage of owners who used a Chromecast to view web pages on a TV declined sharply from 76 percent to 57 percent.
“Streaming media players are starting to play a bigger role in home entertainment, but interest in new entry Google Chromecast is waning,” John Barrett, Parks Associates director of consumer analytics, said in a press release.
“Streaming media players, thanks to their ease-of-use, trail only game consoles and smart TVs as the most frequently used streaming media device in the home. By contrast, only about 22 percent of Chromecast owners say it is the most frequently used streaming device in their home,” he said.
From the article, "Google Chromecast usage waning, report says" by Benny Evangelista.
