Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

On a Netflix free trial? A third of you will likely pay up

Almost one out of three people who use a free trial to try out a streaming video service end up subscribing, researcher Parks Associates said Monday.

That "sizeable portion" of trial users dwarfs the amount of people who abuse free try-outs, Parks senior analyst Glenn Hower said.

"There is a potential for free trial abuse, but only roughly 1 percent of consumers are 'serial trialers,'" he said. "Most consumers use trials for their intended purpose of trying out a service before deciding whether or not to continue as a paid subscriber."

Services, such as Hulu, Netflix and live-TV streamers like Sling TV, often offer a free period, one of the consumer-friendly patterns that have become standard for online video competitors -- and have made it easier for people get a sense of life as a cord-cutter. Traditional TV providers like cable and satellite have grappled with dwindling customer growth as more people opt for online alternatives.

From the article "On a Netflix free trial? A third of you will likely pay up" by Joan E. Solsman.

Previously In The News

Consumers May be Overestimating the Security of Home Security

Consumers may be overestimating the security of home security. While 64% of American broadband households worry about security and privacy when they use their connected devices, 63% think the signals...

Millennial OTT Penetration May Have Topped Out, More Than Half Subscribe to Two Services

More than 85% of millennials in U.S. households subscribe to one or more OTT video services and penetration among Baby Boomers and older people grew more than 10% between 2016 and last year, according...

That Sound You Hear is Smart Speaker Sales Growth, Dominated by Amazon

That uncertainty figures to make the category interesting because it is increasing in popularity. Parks Associates said this week that 11% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart speaker with...

Parks: Broadcast TV Decline Continues, Representing Less Than Half of Viewing on TV Screens

Live broadcast TV has plummeted to 44% of consumption on televisions at the end of last year, down from 60% five years earlier, according to new research from Parks Associates. The research firm said...