Browse through the citations by publication or date.  Looking for a quote from Parks Associates? Contact Us

From the article "Home technical support to generate $1 bln by 2011."

January 22, 2007 — ZDNet
A report from Parks Associates has found in the United States, growth in power line connections will outstrip that of more traditional broadband conduits. By 2007, it's predicted there will be 400,000 residential subscribers. That number is set to rise to 2.5 million in 2011.

According to the report, consumers in rural areas where other broadband delivery mechanisms don't reach will spur growth, while utilities offering broadband services will drive availability.

Chris Roden, research analyst at Parks Associates, also noted that such connectivity will give utilities "to better manage power demand and troubleshoot line issues".

Europe is looking to roll out broadband over power lines too. The EC announced in 2005 it was encouraging member states to take a look at the technology in the hope of using it to bridge the digital divide.

From the article "Broadband over power lines to beat DSL?" by Jo Best.

November 13, 2006 — ZDNet
"They're trying to position this not just as a portal, but (a service for) potential partners who might be interested in licensing their platforms," Parks Associates analyst Michael Cai said. "Content might not be the most important."

Kalinowski said it is working with a major music label to launch a new artist on the service. People will be able to chat with the artists and watch the video at the same time. He declined to name the company.

Cai said such a service could be interesting to an online dating service such as Match.com, which could let people go on virtual movie dates before meeting in person.

"We put together a video player, tied in with a chat and we're using what Barry Diller (InterActiveCorp CEO) calls 'hybrid content.'" Kalinowski said. "We have text, multimedia playing and real-time chat."

Kalinowski's reference to Diller is ironic. Diller's company attempted to buy a majority stake in Lycos at the height of the dot-com boom in 1999 for an estimated $4 billion. But investors rejected the deal.

It was purchased for $12.5 billion by Terra Networks a year later, and sold to Korea's Daum for about $95 million in 2004.

"This is an effort to become cool again, in the Web 2.0 era," Cai said.

October 27, 2006, — ZDNET
According to U.S.-based Parks Associates, this idea of using new media as another advertising platform is catching on--hardly surprising, especially since the online games market is projected to be worth US$4.4 billion by 2010.

In fact, Parks Associates projected that in-game advertising will grow from US$80 million in 2005 to an excess of US$400 million by 2009. In-game ads are typically carried out as virtual billboards and product placement within the game itself.

From the article "Marketeers penetrate deeper into virtual world," by Eileen Yu.

September 5, 2006 — ZDNet
Traditionally ignored by marketers, the three segments Social Gamers, Leisure Gamers, and Dormant Gamers account for 53% of the Internet gamer population and 56% of the retail revenue, according to Parks Associates.

From the article "11% of gamers contribute 30% of revenues for gaming industry."

June 14, 2006 — ZDNet
Yes, says a report from Dallas-based Parks Associates, which predicts in-game advertising will grow from $80 million in 2005 to more than $400 million by 2009.

The report says advertisers will be influenced by two things: First, more gamers are spending more time gaming and less time watching television. Second, gaming is becoming more of a family-oriented pastime.

And, advertising revenue has not yet caught up with gaming's growing popularity, said Yuanzhe Michael Cai, director of broadband and gaming at Parks Associates research group, in an interview with CNET News.com.

As with the Web, advertising is not keeping up with the changing, emerging market in video games. For every $50 a month spent on TV advertising per gaming household, only 10 cents is spent on advertisement-supported gaming content.

Moreover, Gaming is no longer a pastime restricted to 18- to 34-year-olds. Family members are playing video games together. According to the report, 42 percent of children age 13 to 17 have played video games with their mothers, and 40 percent have played them with their fathers. Almost half of 35- to 54-year-old female gamers play with their children, a percentage that's larger than any other adult-demographic segment, said Cai.

But could kids be getting their moms hooked? The report also found that females age 35 to 54 spend only 30 percent of their gaming-time playing with their children. Advertisers have yet to tap this growing demographic.

"Female casual gamers will spend 40 to 50 hours a month gaming. Advertisers will be realizing that with that kind of time you have the eyeballs, and they will seek them out," said Cai.

A recent report from DFC Intelligence, another market research firm, estimates that casual gaming will grow into a billion-dollar industry by 2011. Casual gamers are those who play mainly puzzle games, like Tetris or solitaire, as opposed to first-person shooter, racing and sports games.

"Gaming is becoming a major media. If, as anyone believes, the 18 to 34 (year old) demographic is spending more time on gaming and less time on TV, then advertisers need to figure out a way to get them back," Cai said.

In-game advertising currently offers three main types of advertisements: virtual billboard, pregame, and product placement. The interactive or dynamic in-game virtual billboard is still fairly new. A majority of in-game ads are still hard-coded into the game's design and cannot be changed, Cai said.

Companies like Massive, Double Fusion and IGA, which enable advertisers to stream audio and video into games, are trying to standardize pricing for dynamic virtual in-game billboards. Cai said he believes the cost of an ad for a virtual billboard is determined by angle of view (at what angle the billboard is approached and seen by the player), size and time of exposure. Additional considerations include 2D versus 3D graphics and lighting. The approach is quite different when compared with the time-of-day (prime time versus other time) model often used by network television.

Cai said that as the paradigm for dynamic ad revenue becomes more standardized, it will be easier for solution providers to attract advertisers. Dynamic ads, along with an eagerness to target the expanding demographics of women and families, will contribute to the market's growth, Cai said.

From the article "In-game ads to hit $400 million by 2009," by Candace Lombardi.

February 23, 2006 — ZDNet
About 64 percent of Americans had some form of Internet access at home in 2005, said Dallas-based Parks Associates. That's up from 62 percent in 2004, the research firm reported, while also predicting that Internet adoption will grow only 3 percentage points by 2009.

"I think (adoption) is slowing down," said John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates. "Part of it is that it's hard to get cheaper on the dial-up side than where prices are already at."

Last year, a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project concluded that Americans' adoption of broadband was slowing.

The Parks Associates report said that 42 percent of Americans now have some form of broadband access at home, while 22 percent more have dial-up. An additional 13 percent get Internet access only outside of the home--at work or a library, for example--and 23 percent don't use the Internet at all.

"There are people out there, as hard as it is to believe, that don't use e-mail," Barrett said. "I guess old habits die hard. It's hard to imagine not using e-mail and not using Google, but there's just a certain demographic where that's the case."

He added that his research suggested that there are large pockets of Americans for whom modern technology means fancy televisions and home entertainment systems and not computers. And thus, he suggested, the only way to convince such people to get online would be to bundle computers and Internet service with televisions.

In any case, Barrett said he was surprised by the fact that a lot of the people contacted for the study who said they did not have Internet access at home were "vague" about their reasoning.

"I anticipated people who would say 'I don't find it useful' or 'I have it at work.' But I was surprised by the number of people who said they didn't have a reason."

He also said 5 percent of those participating in the survey told the researchers that they would never get Internet access at home, regardless of how cheap it was.

From the article "Study: Americans' home Net adoption slowing," byDaniel Terdiman.

September 28, 2005 — ITFacts
Parks Associates found 13% of the Internet users who own one or more portable devices would like to see capabilities for live TV integrated into these devices. In addition, 12% perceive the portable functionality of watching videos such as movie trailers and full-length movies as important. Among those who value the capability for pre-recorded video services, close to 30% already own a portable device that serve this need, with another 7% showing a strong desire to have this function. For those who value TV viewing capabilities, a smaller percentage (10%) already have a capable device, and close to a one-fourth (24%) have very strong desire to add such a function.

From the article "12% want video to go on their portable devices."

September 19, 2005 — ITFacts
Homebuilders sold $11 bln worth of technology products in 2004 and expect sales to increase 10-12% in 2005, according to Parks Associates. 62% of all US builders on the lookout for new products and capabilities that could differentiate them in the market.

From the article "$11 bln worth of hi-tech was sold by homebuilders in 2004."

September 16, 2005 — ITFacts
41% of MP3 player owners in the US are not willing to spend more than $10 per month for a music service subscription. With comparable service costs presented in local currencies, 62% in the UK cap their interest at this amount, with 49% in France, 52% in Germany, and 56% in China expressing similar price inhibitions. Furthermore, on average, one-third of the MP3 player owners across these five nations believe these music services should be free. Given these findings, the entry of low-cost services such as Yahoo! Music could reshape the marketplace. Currently in the US, portable music subscriptions from companies including Napster or Rhapsody cost $14.95 per month, Parks Associates reports.

From the article "41% of American MP3 player owners would not pay more than $10 a month for music subscription."

September 5, 2005 — ITFacts
Consumers interested in interactive services such as voting on game shows, targeted advertising, and gaming, who total 27% of all US households, represent a lucrative early market for IPTV services and applications, according to Parks Associates. Service providers, particularly telecom operators, could boost current revenues on their quad-play service packages, which include voice, data, video, and wireless, by 33% by garnishing the bundle with services such as video-on-demand as well as home monitoring, gaming, and wireless broadband. This percentage increase would add $1.81 bln in revenues over the basic quad-play package.

From the article "27% of US households interested in interactive TV."

August 7, 2005 — ITFacts
Parks Associates surveyed the price elasticity of the portable media player market. At the price level above $500 only 11% of respondents would buy a device. 73 would buy a PMP if the price was below $200. The below-$200 price point is also where the industry revenue would maximize.

From the article "73% of Internet users would buy PMPs if they cost below $200." by ZDNet Research

August 6, 2005 — ITFacts
Parks Associates interviewed male female mobile users regarding the type of video content they would like to watch on their mobiles. Concerts and home videos led the priority list for males, with 25% of men voting for this category of mobile video. For females TV drama was the most demanded mobile video (38%) with the closest competitors - concerts and reality TV - getting 30% each.

From the article "What kind of video mobile users want: concerts, TV drama, home videos, reality shows," by ZDNet Research

August 6, 2005 — ITFacts
73% of those buying the new generation of portable media players are tech-savvy knowledgeable pioneers, research from Parks Associates shows. The rest describe themselves as feature-driven value hunters. The tech-savvy crowd is 52% male, while the feature-driven hunters are 70% female.

From the article "27% buy portable media players looking for more features," by ZDNet Research

August 4, 2005 — ITFacts
Parks Associates sent us the results of the user survey regarding the most important and the least important functions in mobile devices. Voice communication and address book functionality lead the list of the most important functions, while PC synchronization and Internet browsing are among least important. 2,112 Internet users were surveyed for the report.

From the article "Most important functions in a mobile device: voice, address book, text messaging," by ZDNet Research

July 13, 2004— ZDNET
DVRs can be used to record live television, record shows in advance, store programs and pause live programs while they're being recorded, without disrupting the recording. Humax has a license to build DVRs for use with the popular TiVo service. The service has 1.6 million subscribers.

About 80 percent of DVR owners have over 25 movies in some form, whether on DVD, videotape or some other media, and 55 percent have more than 50 movies, according to research company Parks Associates.

From the article "Humax, TiVo team on 300-hour recorder" By Richard Shim

July 12, 2005 — IT Facts
High prices and limited video content will inhibit demand for HDD (hard disk drive) portable multimedia players (PMPs), which will reach only 17% of US online households by 2010, according to Parks Associates. Competition from existing devices such as portable DVD players and mobile phones with multimedia functions will also limit adoption of HDD-based PMPs, as reported in this new study, which estimates the cumulative US shipments of these devices will reach 13 million units by 2010.

From the article "Only 13 mln portable media players in the US by 2010, " by ZDZNet

July 12, 2004— ZDNET
More than seven million subscribers worldwide will get wireless broadband access from carriers selling WiMax services by the end of 2009, according to a report released this week by research firm Parks Associates. Carriers will start with equipment using the fixed version of WiMax, which means the service will initially be available only to subscribers in homes and businesses.

The up-and-coming technology is expected to be particularly useful at getting broadband service to remote areas economically or physically out of read of conventional wired networks. WiMax will probably find its first success in Europe and Asia, said Parks Associates senior analyst Michael Cai.

July 9, 2004— ZDNET
More than 7 million subscribers worldwide will get wireless broadband access from carriers selling WiMax services by the end of 2009, according to a report released this week by research firm Parks Associates. Carriers will start with equipment using the fixed version of WiMax, which means the service will initially be available only to subscribers in homes and businesses.

WiMax is radio technology that promises two-way Internet access at several megabits per second, with ranges of several miles. Backers of the technology believe it can challenge DSL and cable broadband services because it offers similar speeds but costs carriers less to set up, since installation doesn't require roads to be torn up.

The up-and-coming technology is expected to be particularly useful at getting broadband service to remote areas economically or physically out of read of conventional wired networks. WiMax will probably find its first success in Europe and Asia, said Parks Associates senior analyst Michael Cai.

June 25, 2004— ZDNET
A key electronics industry group has approved a significant standard for wireless broadband specifications known as "WiMax," giving a boost to a technology proclaimed as a breakthrough for cheap high-speed Internet access.

WiMax is essentially radio technology that promises to deliver two-way Internet access at speeds of up to 75 megabits per second at long range. Its backers claim that WiMax can transmit data up to 30 miles between broadcast towers and can blanket areas more than a mile in radius with bandwidth that exceeds current DSL and cable broadband capabilities.

"This will not be an overnight transformation, and it will be tough (for WiMax) to establish itself," said Michael Cai, an analyst at research firm Parks Associates.

From the article "WiMax in the Wings" By Richard Shim

November 13, 2003 — ZDNet
Despite lengthy discussions, the standards war over ultrawideband shows no signs of abating.

Analysts are concerned about the implications of MBOA and the Motorola/XtremeSpectrum group pursuing their own individual UWB standards. Research group Parks Associates warned back in September that UWB could lose the opportunity to become a mass-market wireless connectivity product unless the standards row was quickly resolved.  "The adoption of a widely accepted industry standard such as 802.15.3a is essential in matching UWB's market reality to its very high expectations," said Kurt Scherf, vice president of research at Parks Associates. "A universal standard is particularly critical among larger consumer electronics and PC vendors, who are seeking a wireless solution that meets their needs across platforms and requirements," Scherf added.

From the article "Ultrawideband standards war brewing, says Intel," by Rupert Goodwins.

September 26, 2003 — ZDNet
Although there is considerable excitement about the potential of UWB, two industry groups are still pushing different ideas about what the standard, known as 802.15.3a, should be. The Multiband OFDM Alliance is backed by Intel and Texas Instruments... Parks Associates warned that the market will suffer if a decision is not made quickly; Intel, one of the key proponents in the dispute, threatened at the Intel Developer Forum last week to split from the discussions, citing as a reason the slow pace of discussions.

"If agreement isn't reached in the next three meetings we may consider an alternate strategy such as a SIG," he said. "We have strong confidence of getting it if not this time, then in November or at the subequent meeting. Nothing else is close." Parks Associates believes that a standard must be agreed on, and quickly.

"The adoption of a widely accepted industry standard such as 802.15.3a is essential in matching UWB's market reality to its very high expectations," said Kurt Scherf, vice president of research at Parks Associates. "A universal standard is particularly critical among larger consumer electronics and PC vendors, who are seeking a wireless solution that meets their needs across platforms and requirements. We believe that UWB could very well be that unifying communications technology," Scherf explained.

From the article "Standards wrangle threatens Ultrawideband," by Graeme Wearden and Rupert Goodwins.
Click here to read entire article.

June 9, 2003 — ZDNet/AnchorDesk
In my house (as in many others, I suspect), the PC sits on one side of the room, the home theater on the other. Though they're separated by 15 feet of Berber carpeting, that might as well be 15,000 miles of Pacific Ocean.

I'd like to integrate these two systems, to see photos from the PC on the big TV, and to hear MP3 files through the booming 100-watt, 5.1-channel stereo, not on my tinny PC speakers. But doing so is way harder than it should be.

I can't just move the PC next to the TV and hook up the two. That's not the way it works in my house. The kids do their homework on the PC. My wife checks her e-mail on it. I edit digital photos. These aren't tasks you want to do on a monitor the size of a highway billboard. And placing a little monitor next to the big TV would run afoul of my wife's home-decorating sensibilities. So would stringing unsightly cable across the room.

With all that in mind, I attended this week's CONNECTIONS™ home-networking conference in San Jose, Calif. At the show, I found some faint glimmers of hope that I could create a real home network, one that connects all my electronics.

From the article "The path to pain-free home networking," by Patrick Houston.
Click here to read entire article.

January 17, 2003 — ZDNet AnchorDesk
If you're thinking of buying a new home PC in 2003, there's a distinct possibility that it will end up connected to your television set. More precisely, according to research conducted by Dallas-based analyst firm Parks Associates, the chances are almost 15 percent - and those odds may well be rising.

.... In November, not long after the Media Center debut, but before holiday sales had ramped up, Parks Associates asked buyers likely to purchase a new PC in the next six months whether or not they'd consider a Media Center PC. A total of 14.8 percent said they'd be likely to.

From the article "Why Media Center PCs aren't dead yet," by Steve Kovsky.  Read the complete article.

January 10, 2001 — ZDNet/AnchorDesk
Research suggests the future for such home networking is indeed strong.

Parks Associates says the home gateway -- which connects a broad array of devices to the Internet -- market will grow to $2.9 billion in revenue by 2005 from $1.7 billion this year.

From the article "Home Networking Unplugged," by Jesse Berst.

Subscribe to PARKS POINTS  |  View FAST FACTS
© 1998-2008 Parks Associates. All rights reserved  |  CONTACT PARKS 1-800-PARKS11 or 972-490-1113
    Design: FigDesign  |  Browse Parks Associates Industry Reports