According to the research firm eMarketer, in 2017 38.9 million Americans use a Roku player at least once per month. This is up 19% from the same time last year according to eMarketer. Roku is closely followed by Chromecast with 36.9 million users and the Fire TV with 35.8 million users.
The Apple TV is in fourth place with 21.3 million devices. One thing to remember here is that these numbers are for U.S. devices only. Apple is available in many more markets around the world than Roku and the Fire TV.
The really interesting point of this is the growth of the Fire TV at 35.8 million—just about 3 million devices behind Roku. Very impressive numbers considering the Fire TV has only been out a few years.
What is also interesting is the fact that the Apple TV cannot seem to get out of fourth place in the United States. Of all the devices here, the Apple TV was the last to get an app store and that seems to be hurting it because the Fire TV and Roku have had time to build up a good lead in this market.
The real question is what will happen this fall and winter. Right now it has been reported that a new Apple TV and a new Fire TV are in the works. Roku just rolled out a new line of Roku-powered smart TVs and Google is rumored to have a new player coming this fall.
So will the new line of streaming players help the Chromecast, Fire TV, or Apple TV overcome Roku? Or will Roku keep moving forward?
What streaming player would you pick as the best? Leave us a comment and let us know.
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news, tips, and reviews.
Need cord cutting tech support? Join our new Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.