Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

WWE Is Laying the Smackdown on the World

The market’s enthusiasm for WWE stems largely from its lucrative TV contracts, combined with its early success in direct-to-consumer streaming TV apps. In 2014 the company made a risky move, deciding essentially to cannibalize its traditional pay-per-view business. Instead of paying their cable companies one-time fees to see WWE’s marquee events—say, $44.99 for the Royal Rumble—fans would be encouraged to subscribe to a streaming video service, the WWE Network, and pay a monthly fee. After some early turbulence, the move is paying off. Roughly 1.5 million people now hand over $9.99 a month for the WWE Network, making it the 11th-most-popular streaming video service in the U.S., according to Parks Associates, and the second-most-popular, after Major League Baseball’s, in the “sports-related” category.

From the article "WWE Is Laying the Smackdown on the World" by Felix Gillette and Kim Bhasin.

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...

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: OTT Viewing Migrating to the Largest Screen in the Home

OTT viewing is increasingly taking place in the living room, with more than half (52%) of U.S. broadband households now watching online video on an internet-connected television, according to a new re...

Report: Increasing Mobile Video Usage is a Leading Indicator for Cord Cutting

People who use their smartphones to watch more than six hours of video per week are more likely to cut the cord during the next year than those who watch 2.5 hours, according to Parks Associates. The...