Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

DirecTV is making an Android-powered streaming box. What gives?

“If (AT&T) had a box that came in at $35 or under, consumers would be interested,” Brett Sappington told me. He’s the senior director of research at Parks Associates, which pays extremely close attention to the over-the-top (OTT) — meaning Internet-based TV — space. “They’d buy it just to see if it worked.”

Sappington reasons that a new streaming box isn’t dead on arrival, so long as it has a stellar user interface, is feature-rich, is open to all TV app developers and is relatively cheap. An existing DirecTV Now customer, for instance, may be compelled to test out the company’s box if it promises better streaming performance — say, no buffering during any live streams — and comes with some sort of service-plus-box deal.

From the article "DirecTV is making an Android-powered streaming box. What gives?" by Jennifer Van Grove.

Previously In The News

Smart Home Service

Automated smart home systems are a growing trend among mainstream consumers; in fact, according to Parks Associates, 48 percent of U.S. broadband households intend to buy at least one smart home devic...

Is DirecTV Now Still a Good Deal for Consumers?

That means no “Storage Wars, no “The Walking Dead,” no “Property Brothers,” and no “The Daily Show.” It's not unusual for services to reconfigure their plans after they launch, says Brett Sappingto...

Google Chromecast Bests Apple TV In Sales, Researcher Says

According to a Parks Associates report, Roku was the leading video streaming device in the U.S. followed by Chromecast and Apple TV in 2014. "The research finds Roku is still the leading brand with...

Deepak Chopra Launches A Wellness App To Create 'Social Transformation'

The self-improvement industry is a promising one, accounting for more than $10 billion in annual sales. Over 40 million smartphone users in the U.S. actively use at least one wellness or fitness track...