Over 40% of U.S. streaming media player owners use their device daily or almost daily

Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
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More than 40% of streaming media player owners use their device daily or almost daily to access online content

  • IoT research firm examines how consumers use streaming devices to access video content

Parks Associates announced new research today showing streaming media players are the most frequently used Internet-connected entertainment device, with 41% of owners using their players daily or almost daily. Only 34% of smart TV or smart PVR/DVR owners use these devices daily. The firm’s 360 Deep Dive: Streaming Device Use and Setup in the Connected Home shows that among consumers who say their streaming media player is their preferred device for accessing online content, they report spending 10.4 hours per week watching online video content on this device.

Daily/Almost Daily Usage of Device (Streaming Media Player, Smart TV, Smart PVR/DVR, Gaming Console, Smart Blu-ray Player) to Access Online Content - Parks Associates - 2018

“The smart TV is the most commonly used Internet-connected entertainment device, and it is the device most commonly associated with pay-TV services, but when looking specifically at device owners, consumers are spending more time online with their streaming media players,” said Kristen Hanich, Research Analyst, Parks Associates. “Sixty percent of households that have at least one internet-connected entertainment device own multiple devices – their viewing habits often vary by device as well as by room, with some devices and rooms over-indexing in terms of content type watched.”

The new research by Parks Associates shows that owners of smart TVs spend 9.8 hours per week watching pay-TV content and streaming media player owners watch content from online services 10.4 hours per week.

‘360 Deep Dive: Streaming Device Use and Setup in the Connected Home’ examines the connections among streaming devices in the home and how consumers use these devices to access content. Additional data from the research reveals:

  • While almost half of U.S. broadband households own a gaming console, only 37% of households actually connect that device to the internet.
  • 44% of U.S. broadband households connect a smart TV to the internet, while 53% of households own this product.
  • Over 34% of streaming media player owners now own an Amazon Fire TV, up from 28% in Q1 2017.