Week in research: Roku rules streaming media device world; IPTV gains on cable

Roku is king of the OTT hill: The number of broadband-enabled households using streaming media devices like Roku or Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) TV stands at 14 percent, double that of 2011. Parks Associates reports that Roku is the most-used streaming device with 37 percent of households surveyed using it, versus 24 percent primarily using Apple TV. Price is one factor in the popularity of streaming media devices. "Innovations such as next-gen game consoles and 4K or ultra-HD TVs will boost unit sales for these devices, but overall, consumers are reluctant to replace these big-ticket items solely for smart upgrades," said Barbara Kraus, director of research for Parks Associates. "As a result, streaming video media devices will have a thriving market because they can offer innovations such as streaming video at low prices. Devices such as Roku's streaming players and Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Chromecast will benefit from these market conditions." Release

Parks Associates CE Devices connected to Internet 2013

U.S. IPTV gains on cable: IPTV may only hold 11 percent of the market compared to traditional cable operators' 55 percent, but it's still a force to be reckoned with, according to IHS. The IPTV market was the only U.S. pay-TV segment to achieve growth in Q2 2013, the research firm said. U.S. IPTV providers including AT&T (NYSE: T), Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and others recorded a net 398,000 subscriber additions, while the cable segment lost 588,000 subs and satellite dropped 162,000. Release

IHS Pay TV subscribers 2013

Enterprise Ethernet on the upswing: Ovum predicts the global enterprise Ethernet services market will increase at a CAGR of 13.6 percent from 2012, to exceed $62 billion by 2018. For North America alone, the market will see 11 percent CAGR between 2012 and 2018. EMEA and Asia-Pacific will see higher growth rates of 14.9 percent and 23.9 percent, respectively. "Ethernet and IP VPN are the two essential data-optimized WAN connectivity technologies that are supplanting many legacy data connectivity technologies," explained Ian Redpath, principal analyst for network infrastructure at Ovum. "The resilient nature of Ethernet service growth is underpinned by a number of factors. Enterprises continue to combine previously separated voice and data networks into one converged Ethernet network connection, are comfortable in doing so, and are happy to reap the connectivity savings." Release