Second screening
James Grant, UK country manager, Vindico, says great content on the TV, great devices that allow personal and immediate interaction, and great communication apps all demonstrate the continued growth of ‘second screening’…
This week saw the release of a new Deloitte report into second screening – the use of another screen (laptop, smartphone, tablet etc) while watching TV and although anecdotally we all do it, it’s nice to finally get some concrete numbers and insight.
The full case study is to be released at this week’s MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.
So what were the key highlights? Straight away it seems we’re not all doing it as only 24% of respondents actually use second screens. This seems surprisingly low to me, so I’m looking forward to seeing the full report to check whether smartphone and tablet penetration affects that number.
The user experience on a smartphone or tablet is much greater than on a laptop, plus it’s quieter and a little more private – all important considerations, given that watching TV remains largely in the living room and often a shared experience. I would expect second screen use to be much higher where the respondent is using a smartphone or tablet.
Firstly 79% of over 55’s never talk about their television watching on the internet – not a huge surprise. If my own parents’ behaviour is in any way symptomatic of this generation, they can’t see the screen on either their smartphone or tablet without spending 20 minutes looking for their glasses, by which time the programme is almost certainly over.
Unsurprisingly it is driven by the ‘youth’ demographic where almost 50% of all 16 to 24 year olds use messaging, mail, Facebook or Twitter to discuss what they are watching on TV.
The watercooler has seemingly been replaced by the app and is especially appreciated by a younger generation that has grown up with the immediacy of internet communications. See the Twitter records from the Olympics for some concrete stats on immediacy – the top record being 80,000 tweets per minute when Usain Bolt won the 200m. It makes for an interesting read.
So the immediacy, convenience, privacy and communication opportunities afforded by the web is driving second screening… and let’s not forget the TV in all of this! Television viewing is stabilising around four hours a day (average viewer – Thinkbox, BARB), close to its record high, and remains the dominant media point.
In fact most people would argue that social media relies on TV for the majority of its content. So I think we can agree on the consumer element – great content on the TV, great devices that allow personal and immediate interaction, and great communication apps all demonstrate the continued growth of ‘second screening’.
But what does that mean for advertising? The Deloitte report also states that 68% of respondents ‘would not want the websites for products, personalities or adverts that have just been shown on television, to automatically appear on their computer, tablet or smartphone’. Oh dear, either the public have forgotten that advertising allows them to consume great content for free, or they are unrealistic about the capabilities of internet targeting.
Personally I think that serving advertising across both screens is a great opportunity for brands and publishers… and yes, maybe even the viewer. Advertising doesn’t force you to engage, it is an encouragement and opportunity to engage, or be influenced. Ultimately the consumer still retains a choice in their actions and I don’t think it will make too much difference if they see the same brand on their tablet as they can see on the TV screen.
Of course we will need privacy controls and consumer protection, and there may be tears on the way but that’s not to say it shouldn’t happen. Simul-serving ads is an obvious first step and relatively non-obtrusive.
Finding a way to allow viewers to engage with advertising at a later stage (i.e. after the programme) is already being trialed in various forms by companies such as Sky or SpotXchange and I have no doubt that some clever bods are beavering away in a bunker on revolutionary new products.
We are at an exciting time for the broadcast, tech and media industries – once all of our television is delivered via broadband we will see increasing opportunities across all screens.
And that leads me to the final part of the Deloitte report and the only part where I disagree.
The final challenge highlighted is that second screen content is likely to be an expensive investment when considered against the investment of content on the first screen.
The focus of the conclusion is on the creation of second screen content, but ultimately I’m not sure if that’s the future of second screening. Do consumers want additional content, or do they want additional engagement? And is that really so expensive?
Channel4’s programme The Million Pound Drop is a great example of a programme designed for both screens – the content is on the main screen but the personal engagement is on the second screen and the two lend themselves very well to each other. C4 also use the second screen as an application form for the show itself – and without knowing the finances behind the show it seems logical that by designing the format with two screens in mind allows the numbers to be maximised.
Outside of production we can also see the rising popularity of Zeebox, a great app that encourages and facilitates greater interaction among viewers, while at the same time looking to find a blend of advertising and revenue opportunities that users are comfortable with. BSkyB has already invested in Zeebox so clearly they can see the financial benefits in investing in this space and locking out their competitors.
With video sell-through so high in the premium inventory market and an increasing focus on yield and efficient business models I think investment in the second screen space may come sooner than many of us think.
Subscribers to MediaTel Group’s Connected Consumer product can analyse the latest consumer insights on second screen behaviour within the Consumption section – or try a site search for even more research discoveries.
Read more on the MGEITF from Raymond Snoddy and Newsline’s Liz Jaques next week.