Second Screens and TV Survey

Mobile devices are becoming an increasingly common part of our daily TV routines. According to the latest Nielsen survey of connected device owners, nearly half of smartphone owners (46%) and tablet owners (43%) said they use their devices as second screens while watching TV every day. And more than two-thirds of tablet and smartphone owners said they used these second screens multiple times a week during Q1 2013.

So if consumers are using second screens while watching TV, are they using them merely as distractions? Or are they using these second screens to engage more deeply with what they’re watching? The answer is both. Among tablet owners, general Web searches (76%) and general Web browsing (68%) are still among the top second-screen activities. But consumers are also using second screens for activities that are directly related to the content they’re viewing, as almost half of tablet owners look up information about what they’re watching.