TV viewers primarily focused on TV, even when multi-tasking

A study from TiVo has shed new light on our second screening behaviour – claiming that most people concentrate on watching the big TV screen when it’s on, rather than multi-tasking with the lure of tablets and smartphones.

The 2013 Social Media and Multitasking Survey found that 76% of people that multi-task while watching TV are primarily focused on what’s on the set in front of them, while more than 45% of TiVo users and 35% of non-TiVo users said that their attention was directed only towards TV and not to anything else while watching.

Among those who report having ever multi-tasked while watching TV, smartphones are used most frequently (61%). 24% admitted to using smartphones every time or almost every time they watch TV.

The research also questions the rise of second screening, with just 27% of respondents saying that they use the internet while watching TV. Rather, online activity more often occurs after watching a programme; 14% of people report turning to the internet immediately after watching a programme and 32% search for related TV content some time during the following week.

In terms of the relationship between TV and online, 61% of TiVo users and 55% of non-TiVo users said that they only want to discuss TV with people that they know, and not with internet strangers; while almost half said that they would rather turn to social networks than online forums.

While using social media platforms, 68% of TiVo respondents said that they notice TV hashtags, however, of those users, 63% said that they do not like seeing them during shows.