Streaming Media Players to Be in 40% of U.S. Internet Homes in Two Years, NPD Says

Forty percent of U.S. Internet homes will have a streaming media player by Q1 2017, said an NPD report Monday. Some 16 percent of U.S. Internet homes had a streaming media player in Q1 2014, and that percentage is expected to grow to 24 percent this quarter, NPD said. While early on, Apple and Roku players drove the streaming media player market, Amazon and Google have made a significant impact over the past 18 months, NPD said. Factoring in connected TVs, Blu-ray players and video game consoles, the total projected count for devices delivering apps to TVs will reach 211 million by Q1 2017, it said. On the content provider side, the top five video apps used by streaming media player owners were Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus and HBO Go, said NPD. Amazon had the highest increase of the five, growing from 15 percent viewership to 23 percent from Q4 2013 to Q4 2014, it said. “Over the coming years we will continue to see a growing audience of TV viewers for streaming video services, authenticated network apps, and offerings such as CBS All Access that no longer require a pay TV subscription from a cable or satellite provider,” said John Buffone, executive director, NPD Connected Intelligence. The report was based on a survey conducted in Q4 with more than 5,000 U.S. consumers aged 18 years or older.