Seventh of US broadband homes to buy streaming players in H1 2016

Barbara Kraus

Some 14% of US broadband households plan to buy a streaming media player by the middle of 2016, according to Parks Associates.

The research firm claims that as of the third quarter of 2015, 31% of US broadband households owned a streaming media player, up from 27% at the beginning of the year.

Next year, streaming media players will differentiate their models and brands through additional features like content options or new technologies such as 4K, according to Parks.

“Streaming media players will be a popular gift this holiday season, especially with more competitive pricing in the market and the expansion of new OTT services,” said Parks Associates research director, Barbara Kraus.

She added that the streaming media player category is now divided into basic and premium tiers. The former consists of streaming media sticks like Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV, while the latter features boxes like the Roku 4 and latest generation Apple TV.

These premium tier devices have additional features to basic devices but still have a “much lower price tag than a new smart TV or connected gaming console,” said Kraus.