According to a recent Parks Associates report, the Roku, Google, Amazon, and Apple brands account for 86 percent of all streaming media players sold to U.S. households in 2014. Roku continues to lead the pack in sales (with 34 percent), followed by Google, Amazon, and then Apple. The report also estimates that 86 million streaming media devices will be sold globally in 2019.

From Parks Associates
A new Parks Associates report on streaming media devices reports four brands--Amazon, Apple, Google, and Roku--accounted for 86 percent of all units sold to U.S. broadband households in 2014. This market concentration will force new entrants to develop unique solutions in order to have an impact in this expanding ecosystem. The Streaming Media Device Landscape estimates that 86 million streaming media devices will be sold globally in 2019.

"Roku continues to lead streaming media device sales in the U.S. with 34 percent of units sold in 2014. Google is second with 23 percent, and new entrant Amazon overtook Apple for third place," said Barbara Kraus, Director of Research, Parks Associates. "The market consolidation around these four brands forces new entrants to develop more creative features and functionality to tap into the strong consumer demand for streaming content. Devices with additional functionality, such as the Intel Compute Stick, may be a sign of things to come, where streaming is not the primary function but an extra feature to provide additional value."

The Streaming Media Device Landscape reports that nearly 20 percent of U.S. broadband households own at least one streaming media player, such as a Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV. Eight percent own at least one streaming stick, such as a Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick, or Roku's HDMI Streaming Stick, while two percent own both form factors.

"Device shipments and sales receipts are important performance measures, but an equally critical metric for device makers is ongoing usage," Kraus said. "Usage will drive alternate revenue streams such as content sales and advertising. Roku devices are the most used among U.S. broadband households that own a streaming media device at 37 percent, followed by Google Chromecast at 19 percent, Apple TV at 17 percent, and Amazon Fire TV devices at 14 percent."

Additional Resources
• Apple to Delay Streaming TV Service Until 2016 at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• HBO Now Expands Availability to Android and Amazon Devices at HomeTheaterReview.com.