Second screening takes hold in US

As ownership of tablets, smartphones and laptops has increased, TV viewers are increasingly following their favourite shows while simultaneously sharing content and connecting with fellow fans before, during and after a programme.

A quarter of TV viewers said they were more aware of TV programmes due to their social media interactions in a year-on-year comparison from 2012 to 2013 according to Nielsen’s report Living Social: How Second Screens Are Helping TV Make Fans. In 2013, 15% of viewers said they enjoyed watching television more when social media was involved — 11% said they watched more live TV and 12% said they recorded more programmes in 2013 alone. In addition, data from Nielsen’s first-quarter 2014 Cross Platform Report shows that the average adult now watches 5 hours and 10 minutes of live TV and 34 minutes of time-shifted TV per day. 

Social media has the greatest effect on Hispanic TV viewers; they show the highest programme awareness ( 32%), television enjoyment ( 26%) and live TV watching ( 18%) of all ethnic groups. Overall, when looking at the effect of social media on ethnic TV viewers, compared with national averages, a greater percent of African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics report watching more live TV, being aware of more programmes, recording programmes, and enjoying television more as a result of social media. African-Americans are the ethnic group most likely to sample new shows online ( 14%) and Asian Americans — who are also the fastest adopters of new technology — record more programmes than any other ethnic group.