Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

On a Netflix free trial? A third of you will likely pay up

Almost one out of three people who use a free trial to try out a streaming video service end up subscribing, researcher Parks Associates said Monday.

That "sizeable portion" of trial users dwarfs the amount of people who abuse free try-outs, Parks senior analyst Glenn Hower said.

"There is a potential for free trial abuse, but only roughly 1 percent of consumers are 'serial trialers,'" he said. "Most consumers use trials for their intended purpose of trying out a service before deciding whether or not to continue as a paid subscriber."

Services, such as Hulu, Netflix and live-TV streamers like Sling TV, often offer a free period, one of the consumer-friendly patterns that have become standard for online video competitors -- and have made it easier for people get a sense of life as a cord-cutter. Traditional TV providers like cable and satellite have grappled with dwindling customer growth as more people opt for online alternatives.

From the article "On a Netflix free trial? A third of you will likely pay up" by Joan E. Solsman.

Previously In The News

Smart TVs aren’t very clever

In an August report, NPD Group estimates that roughly a third of smart TVs in the U.S. weren’t actually connected to the Internet. That’s down from about half two years earlier, but still not good. Re...

Streaming Services Reckon With Password-Sharing "Havoc"

Password sharing has serious economic consequences. In 2019, companies lost about $9.1 billion to password piracy and sharing, and that will rise to $12.5 billion in 2024, according to data released b...

Samsung, ADT team up on home security kit, competing with Nest

Only about 22 percent of U.S. homeowners have a professionally monitored home-security system, and most of those have been installed by the companies, said Parks Associates senior analyst Brad Russell...

Smart-lock startup August Home bought by Yale lock-maker owner

Meanwhile, August Home and Walmart are testing a service that uses a smart lock to open the door for a delivery person to leave an online-ordered package inside. The Assa Abloy acquisition gives Au...