American streamers are more likely to watch connected television content from Roku-powered smart TVs and streaming devices compared to any other platform, according to the findings of a new consumer survey from Hub Entertainemnt Research.
The data is detailed in the company’s latest “Connected Home” report, which finds the streaming TV space is dominated by four large players: Roku OS, Samsung’s Tizen, Amazon’s Fire TV OS and LG’s Web OS (stylized as webOS).
Of those four, Roku OS is available in 59 percent of American homes, while Samsung’s Tizen OS is used in 49 percent of homes. Amazon’s Fire TV and LG’s Web OS each power 35 percent of devices in American homes, the study concludes.
The findings largely track a report released by Parks Associates late last year, which also showed Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung’s Tizen OS as the most-dominant platforms used by Americans to stream video content. Studies from Parks Associates typically show Roku and Amazon jostling for first place, with both having at or just above a 40 percent share each.
While Parks examines streaming platform share, the Hub report released this week reflects the notion that streamers might use more than one connected TV platform, depending on what kind of TV they have in different rooms, or the type of content or app they want to access. Most popular apps like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus are supported across platforms, but some services like Philo and Frndly TV aren’t available on certain TVs and streaming devices.
The Hub report also examined whether efforts by streaming platforms to incorporate more universal search options are paying off — and the findings are something of a mixed bag.
Only 20 percent of streamers say they use a platform’s universal search feature to find shows, movies and other type of content to watch, while 36 percent said they “sometimes” use universal search features, and 26 percent said they rarely or never use those tools.
Most seem to be looking beyond platforms to help them find something to watch, with 28 percent saying they “frequently” explore a service’s content library within the app experience itself, and 48 percent saying they “sometimes” do the same. Thirty-two percent said they use some other method of searching — presumably, typing in a show or movie into Google, or using a content discovery and recommendation app like JustWatch, ReelGood or Plex — while 40 percent affirm they “sometimes” use another method to search for shows, movies and content.
An excerpt of the “Connected Home” report from Hub Entertainment Research is available by clicking or tapping here.
