In The News

As media companies in Europe navigate a transitioning home entertainment landscape, whether OTT video is delivered via dongle, a Roku streaming media device or a proprietary set-top box, having access to Netflix or other SVOD service is indispensable, according to Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates.

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“Google wants to differentiate [Chromecast] by increasing the number of apps that can run on it. That may result in content differentiation over time but any ...read more

But Seoul is not alone in opposing Uber. Brussels and Berlin, for instance, have banned the service, and there have been anti-Uber demonstrations by taxi unions in New York City and Washington, DC, as well as cities in China and Europe.

“This temporary setback in Asia and Europe is not new to Uber as it faced similar situations before in the U.S. cities,” Parks Associates analyst Harry Wang told us. “These bans and disputes may be just temporary in nature and a bargaining chip to ...read more

In this video from the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas I chat with Tom Kerber about Ford, ADT, and the connected home. As the director of research in the areas of home controls, energy management, and home networks for Parks Associates, Kerber says there is dramatic growth potential in this area, especially considering that only a small percentage of houses currently are making use of the technology.

From the article "Ford’s Next Big Thing Isn’t a Car" by Rex Moore.

Parks Research recently released data from their Internet of Things research that revealed a bit of insight not so very shocking—namely that younger consumers are at the forefront of the Internet-connected device revolution. In fact, in the U.S., more than 10 percent of broadband households helmed by people 25-34 own at least one home energy management device and four percent own five or more.

One would assume that this trend, if it’s got ahold of younger consumers, isn’t going to ...read more

I was able to chat with Tom Kerber recently about Lowe's and its strategy in this space. Tom is the director of research in the areas of home controls, energy management, and home networks for Parks Associates.

He says Lowe's is employing a different business model in the home automation market, one that allows consumers to buy an inexpensive kit and begin connecting their home on an incremental basis. In all, the Lowe's Iris system expands to motion sensors, HVAC control, lights and ...read more

"TV app usage is altering the use cases for multiple connected devices; currently 57 percent of connected game console owners are using the device to watch TV shows," said Stuart Sikes, president at Parks Associates. "We are also seeing new revenue opportunities emerge through in-app solutions in the smart home and Internet of Things.”

For instance, Parks Associates analysts report that more than 70 percent of smart-TV owners have the device connected to the Internet. ...read more

But the price point for the service may be too high for customers, said Jennifer Kent, a senior analyst with Parks Associates.

"Amazon's difficulty will be its pricing model," Kent told us. "We estimate that Amazon sells its e-books for an average price of $7.50 each, and most Kindle users only read one book per month. The potential market for this relatively expensive subscription service, then, might be too small to sustain the service."

From the article ...read more

If you don’t have a streaming media player by now, what are you waiting for? New figures from research firm Parks Associates suggest that 25 percent of all U.S. households will have a set-top box within two years.

As for which one you might purchase, we’re willing to bet that you’re going to be looking at one of two companies for a streaming box: Roku or Apple. According to Parks Associates, Roku devices made up 46 percent of all streaming media players purchased last year, with ...read more