Living Social: How Second Screens Are Helping TV Make Fans

Television viewing used to be an experience strictly between viewer and show, with water cooler talk coming the day after. The rise of social TV has changed that relationship, and according a study by Nielsen, more and more Americans are quickly warming up to this new behavior. With tablets, smartphones and laptops at their side, TV viewers can follow their favorite shows, share content and connect with fellow fans before, during and after a program. As a result, the social TV phenomenon is not only affecting the consumer TV experience and program development but also proving to be a valuable opportunity for advertisers to tap into and leverage the momentum of social conversations.

According to the study, a quarter of TV viewers reported that they were more aware of TV programs due to their social media interactions in a year-over-year comparison from 2012 to 2013. In fact, in 2013, 15 percent of viewers said they enjoyed watching television more when social media was involved. And when it comes to viewing content, 11 percent of viewers said they watched more live TV, and 12 percent said they recorded more programs in 2013 alone. In addition, data from Nielsen’s first-quarter 2014 Cross Platform Report shows that the average adult aged 18 and over now watches 5 hours and 10 minutes of live TV and 34 minutes of time-shifted TV per day. http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2014/living-social-how-second-screens-are-helping-tv-make-fans.html