Study: Roku Is the Most Popular Brand of Streaming Players in the U.S.

DALLAS —Parks Associates' has released new data from its recently released Tech Ecosystem Dashboard that show Roku continues to be the most popular brand of streaming media players, with Amazon holding down second place.

Parks Associates' consumer survey of 8,000 internet households found that 43% of streaming media player (SMP) owners report using Roku the most often. Thirty-five percent of SMP owners report they use an Amazon-branded SMP the most often to watch video content.

"Historically, Amazon and Roku have dominated the streaming media player market, and our research shows their dominance continues," said Sarah Lee, research analyst, Parks Associates. "Other competitors such as Apple and Google have held on to their respective shares but do not show much growth as of yet."

The study also found that streaming media players have increased their market share in US households, with 46% of US internet households owning at least one of the devices, but they trail smart TVs, which are in 68% of US internet households. SMPs are also behind smart TVs as the most commonly used device to watch video.

Among US internet households that own at least one internet-connected entertainment device, 56% consider the smart TV as the primary device for consuming video, while 34% consider an SMP as their primary viewing device. Together, smart TVs and streaming media players are the primary viewing device for 90% of households, while other devices such as gaming consoles and smart Blu-ray players are increasingly squeezed out.

"Today, smart TVs are much more affordable, as are streaming media players," Lee said. "These devices offer consumers cost-effective solutions as well as an ecosystem-consistent experience."

Consumer Insights Dashboards present survey-based consumer research that tracks foundational market metrics, such as product or service adoption, household spending intentions, churn, and key tracking metrics on leading industry players. This research is available for purchase.

Parks Associates will share key findings from the firm's consumer research on entertainment devices and services at the Future of Video virtual session "State of Streaming Services and Future of Entertainment," August 15, 2 PM CT U.S. More information is available at https://www.parksassociates.com .