Greenwich – Stamford – The financial services industry spends more than $1.2 billion annually on consolidated market data feed products, according to a new report from Greenwich Associates.

The new Greenwich Report, Revitalizing the Consolidated Real-Time Feed Business, presents the results of a Q1 2016 research study that found industry spending on consolidated data feeds has grown by more than 6% annually for the past five years.

“The thirst for market data continues to increase in response to new applications such as mobile services, new markets through global initiatives and the ever-expanding number of compliance requirements,” says Dan Connell, Head of Greenwich Associates Market Structure and Technology Practice and author of the report. “With this increased demand, the consolidated feed market is likely to sustain its long-term growth trend as it expands into newer regions and products.”

Thomson Reuters has 50% Market Share

To date, the biggest winner from this growth has been Thomson Reuters, which has secured a market share well over 50%. The company’s continued focus on coverage, speed of delivery, analytics, and value-added services such as data distribution platforms and permissioning systems ensures they will keep their central place in this market and further expand their presence around the world.

Bloomberg has invested heavily in this space as well, and the company’s focus on data feed technology has left them with the fastest year-over-year growth rate of anyone in the category. Other notable vendors that round out the top five by revenue include Interactive Data (now owned by ICE and poised for growth), ACTIV Financial (with differentiating FPGA technology) and SIX Financial Information.

“In selecting a market data provider, the largest global firms often make their market data decisions based on the depth of the offering—such as accessing specific Asian markets alongside U.S. equity feeds, for instance,” says Dan Connell. “But for those focused on a particular market, perhaps futures and options in the U.S., working with a local provider that specializes in that market and provides enhanced customer service can ultimately prove beneficial and cost-effective.”