The effect on the companies’ bottom lines remains unclear, but a study by Parks Associates, a research group, found that sharing cost the streaming video industry $500 million in 2015.
One reason the companies appear hesitant to police the passwords harder: Freeloaders could become the next customers.
From the article "As ‘Game of Thrones’ Returns, Is Sharing Your HBO Password O.K.?" by Daniel Victor.
Data is really the new area of competition. If the pay-TV providers are looking at competition long-term in the future, that's the main concern. - BRETT SAPPINGTON, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AT PARKS ASSOC...
“There seemed to be an attitude around the industry that after House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, there was no way Netflix could catch lightning in a bottle again,” says Glenn Hower, a senior...
“Nothing in our proposal would prevent Comcast or TimeWarner from what they’re doing with Roku or Apple TV, or how they decide to pick what devices to share their app with,” says an FCC spokeswoman....
Last August, market analysts at Parks Associates found that more than any other streaming media device -- including those from Amazon, Apple, and Google -- Roku was the leading brand and had increased...
