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Google Chromecast Tops Apple TV In Streamer Market

Alphabet ‘s ( GOOGL ) Google Chromecast widened its lead in the digital media streamer market last year over devices from Apple ( AAPL ), Amazon.com ( AMZN ) and Roku. Google’s low-cost HDMI dongle for streaming Internet video to television sets grabbed 35% of the market in 2015, up from 28% in 2014, Strategy Analytics reported Tuesday. Apple TV ranked second with a 20% market share, down from 22% in 2014. Amazon Fire TV and Roku tied for third, each with a 15% market share. “Google’s puck-sized Chromecast dongle continues to have broad appeal with consumers who favor its mobile-centric approach to content access and control,” Strategy Analytics analyst David Watkins said in a statement . “The device’s portability and low price at just $35 has made it an impulse purchase for many and household ownership of multiple Chromecasts is not uncommon.” Based on cumulative shipments of digital media streamers, Apple leads the market with nearly 37 million Apple TV units sold since its launch in 2007. Chromecast is catching up fast with 27 million units sold in just 2.5-years. Roku’s Box and Streaming Stick products are third with 20 million units, followed by Amazon Fire TV with less than 10 million. Amazon, Apple, Google and Roku accounted for 85% of the 42 million digital streaming devices sold last year. But dedicated streaming media boxes and dongles accounted for 19% of the overall connected TV device market in 2015. All told, 220 million connected TV devices shipped last year, including smart TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, game consoles and streaming boxes, Strategy Analytics said. Smart TVs accounted for 54% of connected TV device shipments in 2015, reaching 120 million units, the research firm said. Samsung, LG and Sony ( SNE ) have a combined 50% share of the smart-TV market. “Our research shows that U.S. broadband homes own an average of 2.3 such devices giving them multiple means by which to stream video and audio content to the TV,” Strategy Analytics analyst Chirag Upadhyay said. “While some consumers will have a favored method, we find that most households are switching between different devices depending on the user and type of content being consumed.” Consumers increasingly are choosing to watch Internet TV services such as Netflix ( NFLX ), Hulu and YouTube.

Netflix U.S. Subscriber Targets Are Too Aggressive, Analyst Says

Wall Street’s consensus estimate for Netflix ( NFLX ) domestic subscriber growth this year appears too aggressive, ITG Investment Research analyst Corey Barrett said in a report Monday. International subscriber growth estimates, on the other hand, look conservative, he said. “The net effect of slowing domestic churn improvements and gross addition velocity is likely to drive domestic streaming net subscriber additions below consensus in 2016,” he said. ITG is modeling Netflix to add 4.4 million U.S. subscribers this year, vs. the consensus estimate of 4.8 million. For 2017, ITG forecasts Netflix to add 3.8 million domestic subscribers, vs. consensus views of 4.5 million. Also, the percentage of Netflix domestic gross subscriber additions that have had the service before increased to 65% in Q4, up from 55% in Q4 2013. The pool of “Netflix-nevers,” people who have never been Netflix subscribers, is rapidly shrinking, he said. But Netflix’s international growth prospects are underappreciated, Barrett said. ITG predicts that Netflix will add 15.6 million net new international subscribers in 2016, above the consensus estimate of 14.4 million. For 2017, ITG expects Netflix to add 15.4 million international subscribers, vs. consensus views of 14.5 million. “We believe the company can leverage the scale advantage and apply the content expertise it has domestically to its international markets, creating a significant competitive advantage in international markets,” Barrett said. “We view Netflix as the future of global video distribution, but believe Netflix is more likely than not to fall short of investor expectations for 2016 subscriber growth.” Netflix ended 2015 with 74.76 million streaming video subscribers worldwide. Of those, 44.74 million, or 60%, are in the U.S. Netflix is having a big impact on the traditional TV business in the U.S. Last year, Netflix accounted for about half of the overall 3% decline in TV viewing time among U.S. audiences, according to a new study by Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson, Variety reported . RELATED: Surveys Show Netflix Winning In U.S., Slow Going In Japan .  

Amazon Debuts First Live-Streaming TV Show, On Fashion, Beauty

Amazon.com ( AMZN ) is debuting a live television show that focuses on the latest trends in fashion and beauty — and viewers will be able to shop on Amazon.com as they watch. Separately, there are hints that Amazon also has virtual reality video in the works. Named “Style Code Live,” the 30-minute show will debut online Tuesday at 9 P.M. ET and then repeat every day at the same time. The free offering is the first Amazon foray into live television and potentially takes aim at the likes of  CBS ( CBS ), NBC owner  Comcast ( CMCSA ) and ABC owner  Walt Disney ( DIS ). Time Warner ( TWX )-owned HBO offers shows on its streaming platform at the same time as it first airs them on its cable network, but it does not have live streaming offerings at the moment. The new live show adds to Amazon’s growing lineup of original video streaming content that takes aim at leader  Netflix ( NFLX ), which does not currently offer live television streaming. The new live TV show is also part of a broader effort to establish Amazon as a fashion brand, which hasn’t been an Amazon strength. This year, it quietly launched several lines of Amazon brand clothing. The show itself will offer interactive features such as a live chat for viewers and will feature “fashion hacks,” guest experts, celebrities and viewer tips, according to the company’s  press release . Amazon.com stock was up a fraction in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Shares are up 20% since touching a six-month low of 474 in early February. The company has an IBD Composite Rating of 80, where 99 is the highest. Video Virtual Reality Meanwhile, as virtual reality slowly lurches into the mainstream, CEO Jeff Bezos has been quietly growing Amazon’s secretive VR division. Virtual reality and augmented reality blog Upload VR  spotted a job posting for a senior software developer to lead Amazon’s VR team, which some say suggests that Amazon Video might soon include VR options. Competing streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have already demonstrated interest  in the much-hyped VR business. Despite the interest, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has  dismissed VR for streaming video , suggesting that it was more practical for video games. The Facebook ( FB ) virtual reality Oculus Rift headset is expected to ship this July. It costs $599 and requires top-notch PC hardware to use.