67% of US high-speed internet households own at least 1 device that is just for streaming AV content

New research by Parks Associates has found that well over half of the households with a high-speed internet service also have at least 1 device exclusively used to stream content. This study, therefore, appears to supply further confirmation of the trend away from 'traditional' entertainment systems and formats to those that can be termed "connected" instead.

It also found that, while these devices are often in use, they are upgraded or replaced with a frequency that appears to be dropping over time. The OEMs who make the hardware in question are responding to this phenomenon with tactics that include innovative features in new devices and bundling the same with subscriptions, content or services that might also be exclusive to them. 

However, despite the apparently strong role of the at-home streaming device, Parks Associates has also observed that the consumption of connected entertainment appears to be migrating inexorably onto the smartphone. Again, the major players in less mobile hardware (such as Samsung, Sony, Roku, Google, Apple and Amazon) are advised to respond in creative ways, even the adoption of more open ecosystems.

This strategy has a number of advantages, including the prevention of fragmentation in this market and the ability to offer a broader range of content and content types through platforms such as Roku Channel Premium Subscriptions and Amazon Prime Video Channels.