Tuesday, Dec 15th | 2026

Parks Associates closes out 2026 with a research-driven look at the state of the connected home market and the companies, technologies, and strategies positioned to shape 2027.

The program will also look ahead to CES 2027, highlighting recent announcements and strategic moves from major market players and identifying the companies and technologies to watch at the show. Parks Associates’ analysts and industry executives will discuss developments in AI, interoperability, smart home platforms, security, energy management, Wi-Fi, and new connected services.

Which announcements represent meaningful market shifts rather than incremental product updates? Where are companies investing? What new partnerships and ecosystem strategies are emerging? And what does Parks Associates’ consumer research indicate about the likelihood that these innovations will gain traction?

The session combines Parks Associates’ market intelligence with industry perspectives to provide a data-driven preview of the trends, announcements, and competitive dynamics that will define CES and the connected home market in 2027.

Tuesday, December 15, 2026

12:00 PM CT

Industry Roundtable

12:30 PM CT

Analyst Insights

Michael Goodman

Director, Entertainment Research

Parks Associates

Michael Goodman

Director, Entertainment Research | Parks Associates

Michael Goodman is Director, Entertainment Research at Parks Associates and the founder and principal analyst at Nexus Media Research. Goodman is an accomplished media and entertainment analyst with a strong history of providing clients with market intelligence and strategic insight into the evolution of the TV industry. Key areas of research include streaming TV platforms and devices, OTT video, connected TV advertising, video games, and cloud gaming. Prior to founding Nexus Media Research, Goodman was Director, Connected TV Strategies at TechInsights and before that Goodman was Director, TV & Media Strategies at Strategy Analytics. Over the course of his career, Goodman has contributed to and been quoted by leading publications and spoken at numerous industry events such as CES, NAB, and the StreamTV Show. Goodman is a graduate of Boston University.

Kristen Hanich

Senior Director of Research

Parks Associates

Kristen Hanich

Senior Director of Research | Parks Associates

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE: Consumer electronics, mobility services and devices, connected health and wellness. Kristen Hanich heads Parks Associates' consumer electronics and mobility research, with expertise in other verticals including connected cars, mobile networking, healthcare, wellness, and independent living. She leads a mix of custom and syndicated research projects throughout the year, with a focus on major players and emerging trends. Kristen specializes in bridging the gap between data-driven and narrative approaches to understanding the consumer markets via a mix of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Kristen has dual master's degrees in applied anthropology and public health from the Universities of North Texas in Denton and Fort Worth. She earned her BSc in health at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems.

Daniel Holcomb

Senior Analyst, Smart Home Research

Parks Associates

Daniel Holcomb

Senior Analyst, Smart Home Research | Parks Associates

Daniel is a subject matter expert in smart home, home security, and home energy management, responsible for research involving market trend analysis, competitor and positioning assessments, technology evaluations, and forecasts of relevant industry metrics. Daniel is a market research industry veteran with over 15 years of experience across multiple research types such as shopper insights, brand equity and brand health tracking, and customer experience. Daniel has also conducted research across multiple sectors such as consumer packaged goods, consumer electronics, specialty retail, and transportation, travel, and hospitality. Daniel has a BA in Sociology from the University of Texas at Arlington, with specializations in Research and Evaluation, Diversity, and Family and Gender Studies.

Jennifer Kent

Senior Vice President and Principal Analyst

Parks Associates

Jennifer Kent

Senior Vice President and Principal Analyst | Parks Associates

Jennifer Kent is SVP and Principal Analyst at Parks Associates, where she leads research and strategy across the connected home, consumer technology, and digital services markets. A widely recognized industry expert and sought-after speaker, she is known for her insights into market trends, growth opportunities, and evolving business models. Her work spans residential, SMB, and multifamily sectors, with a focus on how connected technologies are transforming customer engagement, service delivery, and revenue strategies. Jennifer helps companies identify where growth is coming from and how to capture it through data-driven insights on consumer behavior, technology adoption, and ecosystem expansion.

Tuesday, Jan 19th | 2027

Following CES 2027, Parks Associates brings together its latest consumer research with an analysis of the most important announcements, product launches, partnerships, and strategies unveiled at the show.

This virtual CONNECTIONS™ Summit examines what CES revealed about the direction of the connected home market across smart home, security, energy, broadband and Wi-Fi, AI, interoperability, and connected services. Parks Associates analysts provide research and context for the announcements, assessing how the new products and strategies align with consumer demand, adoption trends, purchase intentions, and changing expectations for the connected home.