Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Roku OS Missing Features Explained: Discovery and Developer Limits

Roku's market position has a way of making the platform look more capable than it is. Across U.S. broadband households, Roku OS accounts for 28% of connected TV platform usage, ahead of Samsung Tizen at 23%, with Amazon Fire TV, LG webOS, and Vizio SmartCast trailing at a distance, according to Parks Associates research.    

Parks Associates Director Michael Goodman puts the stakes plainly: operating systems determine what content consumers see, how services are positioned, and how advertising is delivered. With AI-driven search and  personalization becoming the new competitive standard for TV operating systems, the firm argues that platform control will only matter more in the years ahead. This is the context in which Roku's specific shortcomings land.           

What they may not yet prove is that Roku has closed the gap on the deeper AI-driven discovery layer Parks Associates identifies as the next competitive frontier. The firm argues that AI-driven personalization, the kind that doesn't just catalog content but anticipates it, is where platform competition is heading. Roku's What to Watch feature aggregates titles across services, which is useful.

Roku's 28% share is stable and its value proposition is real. According to Parks Associates, the platform earns its position for a wide range of users, particularly those who primarily want free content, simple setup, and a reliable experience without active management. Nothing in this analysis changes that.

Parks Associates projects that AI-driven personalization will become the standard competitive axis for TV operating systems in the coming years, with platform ecosystems growing more consequential as that shift plays out.

From the Cord-Cutters.gadgethacks article, "Roku vs other smart TV platforms: default choice versus deliberate choice" 

Previously In The News

How Online Video Operators Are Fighting Back Against Organized Streaming Piracy

In 2023, Parks Associates projected that cumulative revenue loss to piracy for streaming services serving US consumers would reach $113 billion by the end of 2027, with the piracy rate for film and te...

In-home Wi-Fi problems create customer churn risk: Parks Associates

Broadband customers who experienced Wi-Fi dead spots, slow speeds, and poor customer service were about six times more likely to say they planned to switch providers, according to a new white pape...

Parks Associates: Managed connectivity now central to multifamily resident experience

A new white paper from Parks Associates, developed in partnership with Calix, argues that managed connectivity has evolved beyond basic internet access and is becoming critical infrastructure for...

Apple CEO John Ternus Bets on HomeView Smart Display to Revive Stalled Home Category

Jennifer Kent, principal analyst at Parks Associates, told CNBC that Apple “always waits for an ecosystem to develop first until they are positive they can provide a stellar user experience,” and that...