Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Paid streaming for cheapskates is having a moment

“This is a lot of catalog content,” says Parks Associates entertainment research director Michael Goodman, using industry shorthand for titles making up Hollywood’s back catalogs.

“There is not one business model that fits everybody,” says Goodman. Adding ad-free streaming to its portfolio is a smart move for Roku, he argues. “You need to have multiple platforms to reach the consumer.”

If Howdy catches on, other free streamers may follow with their own paid plans, predicts Goodman. “There is potential for this to expand to other services.”

“Subscription growth at any cost — that’s not the model today,” says Goodman, alluding to the billions of dollars the industry poured into streaming a few years ago.

When services like Apple TV Plus and Peacock launched in 2019 and 2020, respectively, they bet on undercutting Netflix with deeply discounted subscription plans — only to double the costs of those plans in the following years.

Could the same eventually happen to Howdy subscribers? Goodman thinks so. “Over time, the price will rise,” he says.

From the article, "Paid streaming for cheapskates is having a moment" by Janko Roettgers

Previously In The News

More People Listen To Music On Smartphones Than Make Calls, Study Finds

US-based market researcher, Parks Associates, in its study said that 68 percent of smartphone owners in the US listen to music via streaming outlets on a daily basis. The company also found, on a...

DirecTV Wants To Be The Next Online Substitute For Cable

And plenty of people never signed up for a $100 TV bundle to begin with. Research firm SNL Kagan estimates that about 14.4 million households pay for internet but not TV. AT&T sees the potential marke...

Voice and the Consumer Markets: Accelerated Growth

Consumers have been relatively quick to embrace voice-based applications, especially considering early experiences with voice technology, such as automated toll-free phone systems, were not particular...

Report: Consumers’ Growing Appetite For Solar, Storage And Bundled Home Energy Services

The number of broadband households that have adopted rooftop solar panels doubled to 4 percent in the period 2013 to 2015. Seven percent of U.S. broadband households said they plan to purchase solar p...