Apple TV still isn’t doing any damage to Roku’s control of the TV streaming media player market, based on the latest study that show’s Apple device is still sitting in fourth place in the rankings.
Roku now boasts 38.9 million users and has grabbed the top spot from Google according to eMarketer’s new data. The firm estimates that Roku will grab one third of the market by 2021. Currently it has about 23.1% of the market.
As you can see in the graph below, Google’s ChromeCast is the number two most used TV media streamer with 36.9 million users, capturing 22% of the market.
Photo: eMarketer
Apple TV Struggles
The future doesn’t look too bright for Apple TV. Even though it currently has 21.4 million users, eMarketer only expects Apple TV to pick up about 4 million users between now and 2021. It’s current marketshare of 12.7% will likely dip further as Google and Roku are expected to add 20 and 30 million users.
“Apple TV has been held back by the absence of a compelling content offering, a lack of support for increasingly popular Amazon video content, and a much higher price bracket than its competitors,” said Paul Verna, principal video analyst at
eMarketer. “Apple TV devices currently start at $150, whereas Google, Amazon
and Roku all sell streaming sticks that are priced well below $40.”
A new Apple TV device make Apple more competitive in the market. The fourth generation model was released in 2015. Rumors earlier this year indicated that Apple is planning a new 4K Apple TV, but leaks and other evidence have been in short supply.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
4 responses to “Roku crushes Apple TV in streaming race”
Wonder if Apple knows that they’re in a “streaming race”…
Apparently, they don’t… They don’t know they are in the PC business anymore either, or the tablet as Surface tablets are killing off iPads for business users.
No more monitors, Mac Pros or wifi devices either. Under Cook Apple has been losing ground to competitors in most all categories…. Maybe IF Cook was not so concerned with Politics…. JUST saying, as a visionary he sucks, no Steve Jobs that’s for sure.
let’s see $40 versus $150 to do the same thing? let me go with the $150. duh
Folks, “Roku Crushes Apple TV at Home” is an appropriate headline. This little gem never stood tall at home but stands alone in the boardroom. The only box where a wifi signal, minus the broadband, is sufficient to broadcast pre-loaded, as opposed to streaming, content.
A random rant, rather a whine. The ATV4 in the bedroom has a persistent little bug despite the fourth update last week. The 4 is connected to an Airport Express that is connected to external speakers beside the bed, but upon start-up it selects the default HDMI audio output and I have to re-select the Airport each time. It appears that, unlike the 3, the 4 looks for a speaker connection before securing the network connection; and when it fails to find the selected Airport, it defaults to the HDMI.