Parks: US broadband households turning to streaming players

A “steadily increasing” number of US broadband households are turning to streaming media players first when looking for online content, according to Parks Associates.

The research firm said that 21% of US broadband households with at least one internet-connected consumer electronics (CE) device now use a streaming media player as “the primary platform for online video” – up from 12% a year ago.

By comparison, Parks said that streaming video use declined for both connected gaming consoles and DVRs, and only increased modestly for smart TVs.

“Streaming media players continue to stake out a growing portion of the connected home. Roku devices are now the third most widely used connected CE device, trailing only Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation as the most common platforms to access online video content on a TV set,” said Parks Associates research director, Barbara Kraus.

Parks’ ‘The Streaming Media Device Landscape’ report claims that two-thirds of US broadband households connect at least one device to the internet.

The Xbox games console was found to be the most commonly used CE device for streaming at more than 14%, followed by the PlayStation at just less than 14% and Roku at 10%.

Currently, 20% of US broadband households own at least one streaming media player box and 8% own at least one streaming stick, according to Parks.