DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Jul 19, 2016) - Parks Associates today announced new data from the company's OTT Video Market Tracker showing 55% of OTT services in the U.S. have a subscription-only business model, such as Netflix or Hulu. In Canada, 50% of OTT services offer subscription-only services.
"There is an enormous amount of change going on in the OTT space right now, with new OTT video services entering the market each month. Many of these services have subscription as at least part of their business model," said Brett Sappington , Senior Director of Research, Parks Associates. "The recent ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit is not likely to affect OTT video service business models. An OTT video service is unlikely to pursue legal action against someone who pays less than $10 per month unless they are doing something that disrupts the service."
Earlier this month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that sharing passwords without the authorization of the system's owner is a crime that can be prosecuted under the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. A report by Parks Associates last year estimated total losses of more than $500 million in revenue in 2015 from password sharing. At the end of 2015, approximately 20% of U.S. broadband households had cancelled at least one OTT video service in the past 12 months. In 2Q 2015, 18% had done so.
"In a time of heavy experimentation by consumers, OTT video services want to generate interest in their offerings. Most would be glad to have consumers take a peek using a friend's credentials, so long as they subscribe eventually," Sappington said. "Services are far less concerned by someone sharing with a friend or family member. They are far more concerned with individuals posting credentials online or trying to profit by re-selling credentials in a violation of their EULA. Those OTT services with blended subscription/advertising business models will fare the best, generating revenue even from those who borrow credentials from others."
OTT Video Market Tracker shows other business models for the OTT space include transactional, freemium, advertising, and a mix of subscription and transactional. The number of services with advertising-reliant models has also declined, due to low ad revenues and lack of viewership. Services such as Yahoo! Screen have dropped out of the market, and other services, such as DramaFever, have added subscription tiers to transition into the freemium category.
"Services are experimenting with a variety of business models in order to differentiate themselves in this crowded market dominated by Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Smaller OTT companies are experimenting with the freemium model in particular," said Ruby-Ren Bond , Research Analyst, Parks Associates. "The subscription services with smaller bases are increasingly partnering with other players, such as Amazon, Hulu, and Roku, which allows them to remain viable in a crowded market dominated by the top players."
Parks Associates' OTT Video Market Tracker provides industry research data and analysis of competing players' strengths and weaknesses in the space. The service includes an exhaustive analysis of market trends and profiles of the nearly 100 OTT video service providers in the U.S. and Canada, such as Netflix, HBO, YouTube, and Amazon, with updated deliverables throughout the year.
For more information about the OTT Video Market Tracker , contact sales@parksassociates.com . To schedule an interview with an analyst, please contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com .
About Parks Associates Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.
The company's expertise includes digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.
Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS™ Conference Series, Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, and Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. http://www.parksassociates.com
Holly Sprague Parks Associates 720.987.6614 hsprague@gmail.com
