Switching on to new TV opportunities

While general Web searches (76 per cent) and general Web browsing (68 per cent) are still among the top second screen activities, more consumers than ever are also using second screens for activities directly related to the content they’re viewing on TV. The research also found that 20 per cent of device owners have used their second screen to shop for what was being advertised on TV.

More than half of personal device owners visited a social networking site while watching TV, and at least one-fifth spent time reading social media discussions about the program they were viewing. Interestingly, 15 per cent of multi-screen users revealed that they had watched a program because of something they read in social media.

As a result, broadcasters and advertisers are now able to gain insight into audience impact using, often publicly available, data from platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Better data accuracy can now be gleaned compared with more traditional sample group methods that have been adopted in the past.

Social apps like Zeebox aggregate chatter about what is broadcast at any given time. Not only does this provide a mechanism to enhance TV viewing experiences, but it also provides valuable feedback to broadcasters and content creators about what people are saying, what they like or don't like, what they want to see more of, or even what might trigger controversy (and, therefore, more media exposure).

Take this a step further and provide event/show specific apps that encourage users to switch on early and/or stay longer to get additional content that cannot be pushed through one channel at one time. Additional footage, replays, comments, live discussions, micro-socialising, rewards and so on – the options for delivering enhanced content to support what is happening on screen is endless. Companion apps have a massive potential to increase dwell time and brand awareness during screened events and/or shows.

From an advertising point of view, this is very exciting. Imagine if every time an ident was played on the television, an audio watermark triggered an action within the app.

Whether consumed live or on catch-up, the watermark codes can be picked up by the apps on viewers’ smartphones or tablets. This not only enables broadcasters to provide trigger points to synch content on additional devices but also to gain a detailed understanding of the consumption patterns of their shows at any time.

The world of social is changing and we now realise that we can use it how we want. Micro-socialising allows people to create their own networks, about things they like, and not have to filter out the content that has absolutely no relevance to them. TV companion apps have a huge role to play in engaging with these audiences and providing the right content, to the right people, at the right time.

At RE:SYSTEMS, we are currently working on TV companion apps for two major broadcasters and for clients in other sectors, such as Universal Music. We fully expect demand for this type of service to increase over the next twelve months as more and more organisations wake up to the new opportunities created by the rise of the second screen.