VentureBeat is reporting that new studies show a drop in several types of Chromecast streaming. Even with everybody streaming video more than ever, it seems that traffic is on the decline for Google’s plucky little HDMI dongle. It looks like some of the early buzz has softened for some users.
From VentureBeat:
A survey from industry research firm Parks Associates queried 10,000 broadband homes in the U.S. and found that use of Chromecast at least once a month to view Web pages on a TV dropped from 76 percent of owners in Q3 of last year to 57 percent in Q1 2014. Online video viewing declined 78 percent to 73 percent over the same period.
When Chromecast first came out, Parks Associates director of research Brett Sappington told VentureBeat, it “was big news and was only $35, [so] it was a low-impact buy.”
People bought the device, and experimentation was high by third quarter. But, he pointed out, the novelty wore off and users found “more ways to get content on their TV,” such as Roku, Apple TV, game consoles, Amazon’s Kindle Fire TV, or connected TVs.
It makes some sense that usage would fall at least a little bit. More often that not, people will play with their new device after they first get it, but may slow or stop shortly after. I’ll be the first to admit, my own Chromecast usage isn’t setting the world on fire. Admittedly, I haven’t used Chromecast to view web pages on my TV, so I’d not fit into the first group surveyed, but I also don’t stream a ton of video through Chromecast either. Some YouTube videos on occasion, Netflix when my Xbox was acting up, a few Christmas movies when family was over for the holidays, etc. Who is still gung-ho about using their Chromecast? Let us know in the comments below, or on your favorite social network. Links to our socials are available on the left side of your screen.
Source: VentureBeat
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
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