Gaming consoles remained the top CE device used to access online video content as of the first quarter of 2015, followed by smart TVs, streaming media players, connected DVRs and Blu-ray players, Parks Associates found in a new study.
But keep an eye out for a potential shift in the months and years ahead. The research firm said about 21% of U.S. broadband homes with at least one Internet-connected CE device use streaming media players as the “primary” platform for online video, up from 12% a year ago.
Of the platforms, Roku, which just launched a 4K-capable model, is now the third-most commonly used connected CE device for video streaming (10%), behind Microsoft’s Xbox (14%) and Sony’s PlayStation consoles (13%), Parks Associates said, noting that usage declined for both connected gaming consoles and DVRs, paired with a modest increase for smart TVs (see chart).
“Streaming media players continue to stake out a growing portion of the connected home,” said Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates, in a statement about the report -- The Streaming Media Device Landscape. “It is a rapid ascendance for streaming media players, and Roku in particular, especially considering the broad base of gaming console ownership compared to the lower penetration of streaming media devices.”
The report also found that two-thirds of U.S. broadband households connect at least one device to the Internet. About 20% of those homes own at least one streaming media “cube” player and 8% own at least one streaming stick.
