S&P: Streaming Media Device Sales Declined in Q3 by 4.6%
Global sales are beginning to stabilize compared to steeper declines in Q2 2022
NEW YORK—S&P Global Market Intelligence is reporting that the global streaming media device market showed signs of stabilizing in Q3 2022. While sales dropped 4.6% in Q3 compared to a year earlier, that is much lower than the 16.6% decline seen year over year in Q2 2022.
The trend data is important because some analysts had been predicting that improvements in smart TV operating systems would cut into the sale of external streaming devices from suppliers like Roku, Apple, Amazon and Google.
Streaming media device sales in Q3 2022 totaled 16.4 million units in the third quarter as the segment battles unsteady consumer confidence, S&P Global Market Intelligence noted.
S&P is also predicting that new hardware from Apple, Amazon and Roku will help drive sales in Q4 2022, but they do not expect the market to experience significant expansion year over year.
The trend data is important because some analysts had been predicting that improvements in smart TV operating systems would cut into the sale of external streaming devices from suppliers like Roku, Apple, Amazon and Google.
In a separate report issued in November, S&P Global Market Intelligence predicted that the installed base for streaming media players would decline from 37.6 million in 2022 to 24.3 million in 2026 but that streaming media sticks installed in U.S. homes will increase from 78.4 million in 2022 to 103.2 million in 2026.
Neil Barbour, associate research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence noted that “Most streaming media players and sticks are long overdue for upgrades to feature sets with smart home control and cloud gaming optimization, but vendors are preoccupied with keeping prices as low as possible amid persistent inflation.”
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George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.