Media & Entertainment Industry Trends, Technology and Research

#9 M&E Research : Second Screen lacks popular appeal, abundant room to grow

Posted In Featured, Research, Second Screen - By Nitin Narang on Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 With 1 Comment

Broadcast industry is undergoing rapid transformation, add grossly fragmented ecosystem and advertisers /content producers have an uphill task to deliver. Fortunately, second screen featured itself to solve what remained a distant dream in the traditional broadcast world – access to real time analytics, personalized engagement and contextual ad targeting. “Second Second Screen TechnologyScreen” or “Companion device” refers to an additional screen (smartphone, ipad, tablet etc.) enabling consumers to interact with what they are consuming on the Television. But, a recent report released jointly by CEA and NATPE  analyzing how and why consumers use Second Screen devices to engage with video content, reveals dismal consumer response with abundant room for improvement. The research explores Second Screen usage metrics , current challenges as well as untapped opportunities for content producers and advertisers. Some of the key findings from report include 

  1. 79 % of surveyed audience access second device while watching TV programming. Meanwhile nearly all viewers accessing asynchronous program content, either right before watching a show, right after watching, or between episodes/seasons.
  2. Only 42 % of users synchronize their content experience to live TV with a vast majority not having strong positive perceptions. In all only 13% users indicated that it makes their viewing experience “much more enjoyable.”
  3. More than 50% users access synchronous Second Screen content during commercials, stressing opportunity to provide content easily and quickly during commercial airtime.
  4. More than 60% users accessing synchronized content agree it is fun to use, that it makes them feel more connected to the shows they are watching and offers valuable information. The data provides need to expand Second Screen initiatives across larger programming base.
  5. Second Screen users who do not access synchronized programme content referred not interest or lacked knowledge about programmes offering synchronized content. The data provides valuable input to increase consumer awareness and reinforce the positive aspects of a synchronized Second Screen experience.
  6. Key targets for Second Screen content are Millennials (age 13 to 34), who remain heaviest consumers of both synchronous and asynchronous programme content.
  7. The report lists set of recommendations to enhance Second Screen synchronous content ecosystem. Key suggestions include making content device agnostic and implementing easier navigation to find / access content either through apps or program websites .

Second Screen provides abundant prospects for broadcasters and advertisers to engage and expand consumer association. It offers technology to gain precise consumer response in addition to volumes of accurate viewership data. It extends opportunities to explore new entertainment avenues for consumers, enhance brand loyalty for content producers and provides reasons for device manufacturers to market connected devices. Although  usage, content and performance challenges exists, these need to be mitigated through closer integration and partnership to realize abundant benefits which the technology has to offer.  Second Screen can no longer be ignored!

Report Source : CEA

About - Digital Architect, Media Technology Consultant and Machine Learning Practitioner. I have passion for TV technology, digital convergence and changing face of Media and Entertainment industry. Currently having fun with AI and Machine Learning.