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Roku and Chromecast Top Apple TV as Most Used Streaming Devices in the U.S. [Chart]

Roku and Chromecast Top Apple TV as Most Used Streaming Devices in the U.S. [Chart]

Posted July 9, 2014 at 4:22pm by iClarified
A new report from Parks Associates reveals that Roku is the most used media streaming device in the United States. It accounts for 46% of media player purchases compared to 26% for the Apple TV.

Roku is also the most-used streaming media player in the U.S. Among U.S. broadband households with a streaming media player, 44% use a Roku player the most versus 26% that use Apple TV the most. The gap has widened since 2013, when 37% of streaming media player owners used Roku most and 24% used Apple TV most.

"Multiple factors have allowed Roku to outpace Apple in U.S. sales and usage," said Barbara Kraus, director, research, Parks Associates. "Roku has always had a close association with Netflix, the largest source of video downloads, and currently offers more than 1,700 channel apps as well as a choice of models with different features and price points, all of which appeal to consumers' purchasing instincts. With Amazon entering this CE category, there will be renewed pressure on all players to develop the best combination of 'can’t miss' content with a simple and intuitive interface. "


According to a Parks Associates 1Q 2014 survey of 10,000 U.S. broadband households, Google Chromecast sold as many units in six months as Roku sold in 2013, but overall, usage of the Chromecast has steadily declined since its introduction. Notably, the company believes Apple release a new version of Apple TV with more functionality in 2014, creating a more competitive market in the U.S.

"While approximately 50% of U.S. households have at least one Apple product, such as an iPhone or iPad, the company has not yet been able to leverage this success for its Apple TV offering," Kraus said. "Apple has not committed support and promotion to its Apple TV product line in the U.S., and its sales reflect this fact. But they are the global sales leader in this category, having sold approximately 20 million units worldwide as of April 2014, compared to an estimated eight million for Roku at the end of 2013. As Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, emerges as a new competitor in this space, it could awaken the sleeping giant that is Apple."

Parks Associates estimates that global sales for streaming media players will reach nearly 50 million by 2017 and broadband household penetration in the U.S. will exceed 38%.


Roku and Chromecast Top Apple TV as Most Used Streaming Devices in the U.S. [Chart]


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Comments (14)
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Techno
Techno - July 10, 2014 at 12:43am
Does it show how many chrome cast were returned? It's obvious for even the biggest google fans that chrome cast and roku is useless.
gamerscul9870
gamerscul9870 - July 10, 2014 at 2:01am
Well said. I once read Apple sold millions, but not only that, I compared each model and found Apple TV far better even without jailbreak. It doesn't even need extra features for a remote but if I wanted to use one like roku, I would use my iPhone as a remote.
cciev
cciev - July 9, 2014 at 5:47pm
Chromecast is a cheap device that can barely do anything. It sold more cause its $30 and came with 3 months of free netflix.
1
zetaprime
zetaprime - July 9, 2014 at 11:26pm
Chrome cast is one of those items where you get what you pay for, in this case very little.
1
applegeek
applegeek - July 10, 2014 at 4:48am
yes its crap, i can't get mine to update and it drops my browser after 2 seconds. worthless.
applegeek
applegeek - July 10, 2014 at 4:48am
yes its crap, i can't get mine to update and it drops my browser after 2 seconds. worthless.
gamerscul9870
gamerscul9870 - July 10, 2014 at 4:51am
Another Apple TV wannabe that failed like the rest of the products.
1
gamerscul9870
gamerscul9870 - July 9, 2014 at 5:26pm
And spamazon tried to surpass but they failed.
gamerscul9870
gamerscul9870 - July 9, 2014 at 5:11pm
Don't care what they say, I find Apple TV better.
zetaprime
zetaprime - July 9, 2014 at 11:25pm
There's no question that for anyone with an iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Apple computer the Apple TV is the best choice if you're only going to have one device. However one often needs multiple streaming devices, esp. The WDTV Live, which allows you to access just about any media file you have anywhere on your home network with DLNA or via SMB or Apple share. Roku, Chrome, and Apple are unable to do that. Only trouble with Wdtv is that while it does a great job when it wants to be cooperative, it has a tendency to drop the network and require a reset every couple of hours. Sometimes the network connection doesn't last long enough to watch an entire feature film without interruption having to reboot it to see the rest.
Hooi
Hooi - July 9, 2014 at 4:50pm
Misleading title. Doesn't see any statistics showing Chromecast usage is above Apple's.
c88ec58
c88ec58 - July 9, 2014 at 5:21pm
"Google Chromecast sold as many units in six months as Roku sold in 2013" That statement alone, means that Chromecast is above the Apple TV, since Roku, in 2013, was above Apple TV.
wolfH_Austria
wolfH_Austria - July 9, 2014 at 4:30pm
give AppleTV a Plex or annother DNLA client and it will be number one. Wolf
zetaprime
zetaprime - July 9, 2014 at 11:28pm
If Apple could do SMB shares it would be spectacular and I could throw away my Wdtv.
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