TV Everywhere International - Volume 13 No 2 TV EVERYWHERE_Vol 13 No 2 | Page 28

News

News

Roku tops streaming media players

Recent findings from Parks Associates indicate that Roku is increasing its lead in the streaming media player landscape . As of Q1 2017 , 37 % of streaming media players owned by US broadband households are Roku devices , up from onethird in Q1 2016 . The firm ’ s latest industry report - Reinventing CE : Transforming Devices to Service Platforms - shows this increase in share of installed base puts Roku further ahead of its main competitors Amazon , Google , and Apple .

“ Roku emerged early as a US market leader for streaming media players , and the company
has held firmly to that position ,” said Glenn Hower , Senior Analyst , Parks Associates . “ Higher-priced devices , such as the Apple TV , have not been able to keep up with lowpriced and readily available Roku devices , which can be found at Walmart for as low as $ 29.99 .”
According to Parks Associates , of the other major players in this market , only Amazon ’ s Fire TV had an increase in its share of installed base during the same timeframe . Amazon increased its share from 16 % to 24 % of streaming media players owned by US broadband households , which moved the e-tailer ahead of Google for second place in streaming media player adoption . Google ’ s Chromecast now holds an 18 % share of installed base , while Apple ’ s share fell to 15 %.
“ One-third of US broadband households own a streaming media player ,” Hower said . “ The growth of the US OTT market provided consumers with unprecedented ease of access to video content . These streaming media devices make for quick and easy access to the top OTT libraries .”
Additional findings :
• 45 % of US broadband households own a smart TV .
• Parks Associates estimates 15.6 million smart speakers with personal digital assistants were sold in the US in 2016 .
• Nearly one-half of all US broadband households own a gaming console .
Vubiquity , Oi ondemand content licensing deal
Premium content services
provider Vubiquity has signed a deal with Oi in Brazil that will provide customers with exclusive access to on-demand video content .
The deal allows customers to access Oi Play content , which is already available to the Oi TV customer base ( 1.4m ), and has now also launched for customers who contract to the Broadband service ( Oi Total Play ) without the need for a TV sub .
Both new and existing Oi Total combo customers will be able to view exclusive content from more than 50 channels
and over 30,000 on-demand titles . This will include content from HBO Go , Discovery Kids , Crackle , WatchESPN , Fox Play , Globosat Play , and many more .
Vubiquity will also provide an SVoD content library , dubbed ‘ Coleção Oi ’ with over 2,500 titles , offering a solution for a more comprehensive viewing experience for customers . This is based on its current presence in Latin America , expanding its production of high quality content throughout the region .
Adam Poulter , managing director of Vubiquity International , said : “ It is essential that in an ever
changing and diverse media landscape , customers are able to access high-quality content on any device . In no region is this need more acute than in Latin America , where a high proportion of content is consumed through on-demand services .”
“ We are delighted to be working with Oi by providing this important rollout of digital media services to new and existing customers . This deal recognizes the needs of our customers by providing a mixture of top-quality local content with leading Hollywood titles . This demonstrates our unique understanding of
the Latin American market , and our ability to adapt to the individual needs of our customers across the globe , further establishing us as a leading content partner in emerging markets .”
Ermindo Cecchetto Neto , household and convergence segment director at Oi , said : “ Oi has its strategy focused on consumer preferences . The company identified a new customer profile and launched Oi Total Play to expand the portfolio of the combo Oi Total , which already has 1.4 million subscribers . The alliance with Vubiquity and the main TV programmers reinforces Oi ’ s positioning as a distributor of the best content .”
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