Rovi: How Viewers Are Actually Using their Second-Screen Apps
Those in the online video industry like to imagine a world of connected viewers all tapping second-screen apps to get more information about what they're currently viewing on television. But research from Rovi shows that that dream is largely just a dream.
During the recent Streaming Media Europe conference in London, Simon James, product marketing director for Rovi, explained that his company's in-home research was turning up surprising insights, such as something called "DVR Guilt."
"We regularly go into people's homes and spy on them -- with their permission, of course," James joked. "But no, seriously, an important part of our research department's role is to regularly spend time with consumers and understand with they're doing with all these different devices. There's some fascinating outcomes from that research as to how consumers behave, particularly with one another. We discovered a thing called DVR Guilt, for example, where one side of a marriage would be watching an episode without telling their partner, and then they'd sit through it again without telling them they'd already seen it."
When it comes to second-screen app use, Rovi found there's a lot of competition for viewers' attention.
"One of the things we found that was interesting was we asked consumers to log what they were doing with that second device whilst they were watching TV, and we had thousands of data points come in. We found that around 13 percent of those were related to the content actually on the TV," James said. "All of the other interactions were what's going on on Facebook? Have I got any new email? How's my bid going on eBay?"
To hear more about second-screen use, watch the full discussion below.
Getting the Most out of Second Screens and Companion Apps
Moderator: Jose Castillo, President, thinkjose
Simon James, Product Marketing Director, Rovi, US
Will Neale, CEO, ShowCaster
Companion devices, such as the iPad and other tablets, are already having a significant impact on consumer TV consumption behaviour, due to their nature as both a media consumption platform and an attractive interaction interface, capable of connecting to TV devices. This session will explore how broadcasters, operators, and content providers can effectively use branded companion apps to enhance the user experience, interact directly with the customer in a new and appealing way, and ultimately generate customer loyalty.
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