S&P Cites 'Unsteady Consumer Confidence' in Q3 SMD Unit Drop

Streaming media device shipments fell 4.6% year on year to 16.4 million units in Q3 on “unsteady consumer confidence,” said a Tuesday S&P Global report. For Q4, S&P expects new hardware from Amazon, Apple and Roku to help drive sales, but analysts don’t expect significant expansion year on year. “Most streaming media players and sticks are long overdue for upgrades to feature sets with smart home control and cloud gaming optimization, but vendors are preoccupied with keeping prices as low as possible amid persistent inflation,” said analyst Neil Barbour.