Streaming media player ownership reaches 17% in US

Some 17% of US households owned streaming media players in Q2, after 6 million were added in the past year, according to new research by the NPD Group. 

The research firm said that it expects streaming media player ownership to increase to 39% of US internet households by the beginning of 2017, driven by more brands in the market, more apps, and lower device prices.

As of Q2, Apple claimed the biggest stake of the US streaming device market with a 39% market share, compared to 28% for Roku and 16% for Google, said NPD.

It added that the average price of a streaming media player dropped from US$88 (€67) in 2012 to US$61 in the first half of 2014.

“In its infancy, the streaming media player market had two major players driving growth – Apple and Roku. Now we have four relevant hardware manufacturers with the addition of Amazon’s Fire TV and Google’s Chromecast,” said John Buffone, executive director, NPD Connected Intelligence.

“Content is what’s going to bring these devices to the next level. It’s not just necessary to be able to stream popular video services such as Netflix and Hulu. Device manufacturers must also have the ability to attract a wide array of content owners and developers to build apps for their platforms – which is the direction Apple, Roku, Google, and Amazon are taking with their devices.”

“Affordability can drive impulse buying, rapid increases in ownership, and in turn it is increasing the number of homes with access to apps on TV. It’s quickly becoming a great new channel content owners can use to grow the audience for popular TV shows, movies and more.”