With no new streaming video player in two and a half years, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is losing ground in the market. Apple's set-top box, Apple TV, slipped to fourth place in U.S. sales of streaming media devices last year, research firm Parks Associates reported Thursday.
Roku continues to lead in streaming media device sales, accounting for 34% of units sold in 2014. Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) was second with 23%. Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) overtook Apple for third place. Amazon grabbed 16% of the market, compared with 13% for Apple.
Together the top four brands accounted for 86% of all streaming media devices sold to U.S. broadband households in 2014, Parks said.
"The market consolidation around these four brands forces new entrants to develop more creative features and functionality to tap into the strong consumer demand for streaming content," Parks analyst Barbara Kraus said in a statement. "Devices with additional functionality such as the Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) Compute Stick may be a sign of things to come, where streaming is not the primary function but an extra feature to provide additional value."
From the article "Apple TV Falls Behind In Streaming Device Market" by Patrick Seitz.
In last few years, the conversation around cutting the cord has gained considerable traction in the U.S. Cord-cutting refers to the pattern of viewers canceling their DTH (direct-to-home) or cable TV...
DirecTV and its competitors, including Google’s (GOOGL, -0.34%) YouTube TV and Dish Network’s (DISH, +1.99%) Sling TV, sure seem like a better deal than cable. The cost is lower, the apps are capable,...
“This alliance between Infineon and Amber is a next level example that the solid-state transformation of our electrical products and infrastructure is at hand,” says Elizabeth Parks, President of Park...
The overall numbers have increased over time, based on research reports issued on a regular basis. In 2015, Parks Associates said that 10% of U.S. households with broadband used a streaming-service ac...