Low price and wide range of apps help to drive sales

Google Chromecast is the second most popular media streaming device in the USA, a new report from Parks Associates claims.

Chromecast sales snatched 23% of the streaming media devices market in the US in 2014.

And that’s a healthy share to have for a device that didn’t even register among the top five media streaming device brands a year prior.

Roku remains America’s most popular device for streaming content. The Roku box and streaming stick command 34% share of the streaming media device market based on 2014 sales.

Apple TV slips to fourth place, being beaten by Amazon Fire TV.

Parks Associates estimate that 20% of American broadband households own at least one media streaming device — 8% own a stick, like the Chromecast, and 2% own both a stick and a box, like the Apple TV.

And things are on the up. Parks expect the total number of households owning media streamers to hit 25% by the end of 2015.

Chromecast Sales Vs Chromecast Usage

The low-price point of the Chromecast is a big factor of its sales success but are people actually using it?

Parks’ usage data (which is based on a sample of US broadband households) shows a slight disconnect between Chromecast sales and regular usage.

The Chromecast is used regularly in 19% of US homes that own at least one streaming media device.

This usage stat is some way behind Roku (37%) but ahead of Apple TV (17%) and Amazon Fire TV devices (14%).

It will be interesting to see how 2015 data changes things. Amazon has aggressively priced its Fire TV Stick, Apple discounted their Apple TV (ahead of a refresh due in October) and Chromecast compatible apps have been arriving at a fair clip.