Apple TV Falls Further Behind Connected TV Rivals [Chart]

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Posted July 26, 2017 at 4:25pm by iClarified

The Apple TV is falling further behind its rivals and will continue to do so, according to a new report from eMarketer.

The use of connected TV devices is soaring with 168.1 million people in the US using an internet-connected TV this year, up 10.1% over 2016. Notably, Smart TV users will make up nearly half that number, with 81.2 million users in 2017. That's a sharp increase of 30.8%. The surge of Smart TV users has led eMarketer to revise down its forecast for third party connectivity devices.

Apple TV Falls Further Behind Connected TV Rivals [Chart]

eMarketer estimates that 38.9 million Americans will use a Roku device at least once a month, up 19.3% vs. 2016. As a result, the device will capture 23.1% of all connected TV users.

“As the only major market participant not affiliated with a content or TV device platform, Roku has used its neutrality to strike deals with a wide range of partners, including smart TV makers, over-the-top (OTT) service providers and social media companies,” said Paul Verna, principal video analyst. “That expansive strategy, combined with the company’s broad selection of connectivity devices at various price points, has put Roku at the head of the pack.”

Roku’s closet competitor in the US is Chromecast, which will have 36.9 million users this year, equating to 22.0% of connected TV users. Meanwhile, Amazon Fire TV will have 35.8 million users in 2017, or 21.3% of connected TV users.

eMarketer says the Apple TV comes in at a distant fourth with 21.3 million users this year (12.7% of US connected TV users). It also predicts that the Apple TV will continue to fall in popularity, adding less than 4 million users by the end of 2021 compared to 20-30 million for its competitors.

“Apple TV has been held back by the absence of a compelling content offering, a lack of support for increasingly popular Amazon video content and a much higher price bracket than its competitors,” Verna said. “Apple TV devices currently start at $150, whereas Google, Amazon and Roku all sell streaming sticks that are priced well below $40.”

Check out the chart below for more details...

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drigomarki - July 27, 2017 at 5:15pm

Fire TV beats ATV anytime. I love feeling not to worry about updates that will kill Kodi. Never again ATV.

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Rob D - July 26, 2017 at 9:57pm

If you're an Apple computer and/or iPhone user, do yourself a favor and grab an Apple TV.

curtixman - July 27, 2017 at 2:55am

Why?!?! It's lacking functionality, has no 4K support and is locked down so you can't Kodi, tvaddons or do other useful things on it.

JW - July 27, 2017 at 4:59am

Why? Apple tvs are too locked down. My ATV4 has been relegated to the bedroom since I got a sheild. One free app and i can airplay to it also. Im an apple fan, but in the tvbox world they are lame.

M&MM - July 27, 2017 at 11:06am

Yeah... WHY? I have bought appleTVs in the past and enjoyed the integration with iPhone, iPad and the Mac to stream e.g. From my iPad Netflix to the TV (even though that often crashes), BUT why should I pay soooo much for that? The new appleTVs are simply waaaaay too expensive. This is not complaining about the usual Apple premium price, but about a price that just is in absolutely no range of the value provided for whatever use case this device would be able to cover... Tim Cook run the relatively affordable and relatively successful hobby into the ground for good.

Tom little - July 26, 2017 at 8:32pm

Could it be that most people can jailbreak those other devices and get free content. I pay for my stuff so I have the Apple TV with no problem so far and have bought over 200 movies that I don’t need a DVD player for

Uzumaki - July 26, 2017 at 6:24pm

That's funny I sold my crappy roku 3 that froze every so often and love the build quality and the Apple TV and the reliability of it. Since I'm in a the apple eco system it's really nice and solid experience. Apple build is always better imo. Apple TV has a weighted base and is sturdy enough to not be lifted by the HDMI cable. But if u like free sh*t then yeah roku.

Dredrums - July 26, 2017 at 5:13pm

Apple TV costs about $100 more but offers nothing outstanding compared to the competitors... they need to drop the price somewhat to stay in the game... I have a 3rd gen ATV and was considering making the leap to the 4th gen, but $150 bucks?!? I’ll just grab a fire stick for $40 bucks and jailbreak it...

curtixman - July 27, 2017 at 2:56am

Exactly! Twice the price with half the functionality.

D4xM4Nx - July 26, 2017 at 4:43pm

Roku is the best! Lots of features, nice variety of options for all to choose, buffed up specs and super competitive price. 1st place much deserved.

Psyclone - July 26, 2017 at 4:34pm

This is most likely due to the ease of installing kodi and other non sanctioned apps.