Google Chromecast Usage on the Decline: Parks Associates
Has the Google Chromecast already peaked? While each week brings new reports of streaming apps now optimized for Chromecast, market research company Parks Associates says usage is declining for the $35 HDMI device. This is happening while usage of other streaming devices is increasing.
People are still buying the Chromecast: A Parks survey of 10,000 broadband-enabled households for the first quarter of this year shows that Chromecast ownership is steady at 6 percent. Usage rates, however, have dropped in this and the previous quarter. Chromecast owners who use the device at least once per month to watch online video has fallen from 78 percent to 73 percent.
Only 22 percent of Chromecast owners say that it's the most-used streaming device in their home, notes Parks Associates director of consumer analytics John Barrett. Game consoles and set-top boxes enjoy greater use.
Thanks to its low price and initial buzz, Chromecast saw high sales and strong usage when it debuted last summer, adds Glenn Hower, a research analyst for Parks. Some continue to use Chromecast often, he says, while many have found other ways to get streamed content to their TVs.
The data comes from Parks Associates' report 360 View: CE Adoption and Trends, which looks at the adoption and usage of over 20 devices.
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