My Cart - Have you ever watched a TV show and had the growing sensation that you’ve seen that actor before, but you’re not entirely sure where? If you’re guilty of getting your smartphone and checking the internet to see if you’re right, then you’re using a second screen.
Media consumption is increasingly more complex, and its added layers have given way to an additional use of a second screen while watching TV. A second screen is the use of a device like a smartphone or a tablet to enhance the viewing experience on another device, like a TV.
The Origins of the Second Screen
In 2009 the company Spot411 developed an app called FoxPop. This app added interactive elements when watching a movie. After syncing with your computer, and depending on which film you were watching, it showed trivia and behind-the-scenes information. Since it required Facebook or Twitter to login, you could see comments from Facebook friends about the film, and even have a real-time group viewing experience if they were online.
The first mainstream second screen sync app was released in 2011. Grey’s Anatomy Sync for iPad was designed as companion content to the show. Powered by Nielsen’s Media-Sync Platform, its function was to showcase interactive content in real time according to what was happening on the screen.
Since 2011, the Oscars, the MTV VMAs, the Grammys, and the Emmys have included a second screen. TV shows regularly have hashtags popping up on the screen, encouraging users to start a conversation on Twitter or on Facebook.
How Second Screen Technology is Used
In a 2013 study by Nielsen on a sample of 5,010,000 American homes, almost half of smartphone users (46%) and tablet owners (43%) said they used their devices as second screens. More than two thirds of users of these devices said that, while watching TV, they use second screens multiple times a week.
76% of tablet owners and 63% of smartphone users said they use second screens to look up general information while watching TV. 68% of tablet owners and 55% of smartphone users surfed the web, while around 53% of owners of both devices said they visited a social networking website.
Looking up information about actors, athletes, or any other personality or TV show plotline was also useful for 49% of tablet owners and 34% of smartphone users. 21% of tablet owners and 18% of smartphone users read conversations on social media about the program they were watching.
Buying products or services as they are being advertised was done by 20% of tablet owners and 13% of smartphone users. 15% of tablet owners and 10% of smartphone users watched a TV programme due to a comment on social media, and 13% of both device users voted or sent comments to live programs.
13% of tablet owners and 9% of smartphone users said they used their devices to buy coupons or deals related to the TV programs they were watching, and 13% of tablet owners and 8% of smartphone users wrote blurbs on the programs they were watching.
Second screens seem to be a feature that is here to stay. It provides a more interactive experience during broadcast, as it allows for live comments on programs and on social media websites of these programs, or even a simple and easy way to look up information online.
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