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Apple falls to third place behind Google, Roku in U.S. streaming device market

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As much as you may love and adore your Apple TV, it’s fallen to third place in sales next to its competitors.

Per Gigaom, Google sold 3.8 of its Chromecast streaming devices in 2013, making the device about as popular as Roku’s streaming devices.

Roku and Chromecast were the two most successful streaming devices sold in the U.S. in 2013, according to new data from Parks Associates, which puts Apple TV on third place.

Google sold an estimated 3.8 million Chromecast streaming sticks after introducing the product in mid-2013, according to Parks, which also estimates that this about equals Roku’s sales throughout 2013. Apple, on the other hand is trailing, having sold just a bit more than two million devices in the U.S. last year, according to data shared by Parks.

Still, the global picture might prove a little rosier for Apple, which has sold more than 20 million Apple TV units since its introduction in 2007, whereas Roku’s total sales since its launch were 8 million by the end of 2013.


One reason for this discrepancy is that Roku thus far is only available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, whereas Apple is selling its Apple TV in dozens of countries. Google is quickly expanding its international reach as well: After launching just in the U.S. in 2013, Chromecast is now available in 19 countries.

Parks published data in June suggesting that Chromecast usage was down, with Chromecast owners using the device less frequently than they did six months ago. Google has since released data of its own, showing that per-minute usage of active devices continues to rise. Parks analyst John Barrett argued in response that both could be true:

“The two data sets are…not contradictory because average use among active users can be increasing even while the percentage of owners using the device is declining.”

If you have a favorite streaming TV device Apple’s, Google’s and Roku’s offerings, please let us know what you think in the comments.

2 replies on “Apple falls to third place behind Google, Roku in U.S. streaming device market”

Amazon Prime.
If AppleTV allowed me to watch Amazon Prime (without having to stream it on my iPhone) then I would consider AppleTV.

I know what you mean. I have 3 different streaming devices and the only one that has access to Amazon Instant Video is through my PS3. Too much competition between Amazon and Apple I’d guess.

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