Parks Associates

Adoption of Internet-Connected Entertainment Devices Increases 11% During One-Year Period

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Sep 27, 2016) -  A new industry report from Parks Associates finds that 73% of U.S. broadband households connect one or more in-home entertainment devices to the Internet, an increase of 11% from the beginning of 2015. Streaming Media Devices: Trends and Innovation examines this growing market, which includes smart TVs, gaming consoles, streaming media players, Blu-ray players, and digital video recorders (DVRs).

"Consumers continue to accumulate streaming options for homes, including smart TVs, which are on track to surpass connected gaming consoles as the primary streaming tool in the home," said Barbara Kraus, Director of Research, Parks Associates. "People aren't buying TVs solely for the smart functionality but within the standard replacement cycle, and those new TVs are likely to be smart. New owners of smart TVs will try out the smart functionality in the new TV and continue to use it if it meets expectations."

Parks Associates notes that gaming consoles remain the primary streaming device, with 32% of broadband households that connect at least one streaming device to the Internet using a gaming console as their primary streaming device. Smart TVs are second at 28%. While gaming consoles as the primary streaming device have declined 27% in two years, smart TVs as the primary streaming device have increased by 29%. Consumers are also using smaller screens for streaming, with 25% of U.S. broadband households using a tablet to access online video content and 20% using a smartphone.

"Companies such as Intel and ASUS introduced new computer sticks in 2015 as streaming devices with value-added computing capabilities, but users firmly stick with the streaming use case," Kraus said. "Among owners of a computer stick, 60% use it for streaming, compared to only 24% who use the stick as a computer."

Additional data points from the report include:

• Nearly 90 million streaming media players will be sold in 2020, with the primary growth coming in Asia-Pacific for the stick form factor.
• In Q1 2016, smart TV ownership grew to 45% of all U.S. broadband households.

Parks Associates will address smart home device adoption and trends at CONNECTIONS™ Europe: Smart Home, IoT, and the Connected Consumer, 2-3 November 2016 at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam. For more information, visit http://www.connectionseurope.com or contact [e-mail], 972-490-1113.

Streaming Media Devices: Trends and Innovations focuses on market innovations and trends within the ecosystem for connected TV home entertainment devices. It includes five-year forecasts of unit sales for each connected device. The report is available to purchase at www.parksassociates.com.

To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific streaming media or smart home data, contact Holly Sprague at [e-mail], 720.987.6614.

About Parks Associates
Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.

The company's expertise includes digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.

Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS™ Conference Series, Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, and Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. http://www.parksassociates.com

Holly Sprague
Parks Associates
720.987.6614
[e-mail]