According to Parks Associates, instances of mobile activities while watching TV increases significantly among Millennials, where consumers 18-34 are 70% more likely than other age groups to look up TV listings via a mobile device.
"The mobile device is the implied peripheral in the second-screen concept, but increasingly it is the first screen consumers look at during a video-viewing experience," said Brett Sappington, director, research, Parks Associates. "The growth of OTT (over-the-top) services, pay-TV initiatives such as TV Everywhere, and increases in mobile apps have all contributed to this shift. Eighteen percent of U.S. homes with a smartphone or tablet use an app from their pay-TV provider to check TV listings, program their DVR, or watch TV programming."
Apps from content owners such as USA Network and Nickelodeon, along with OTT services from providers like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, have driven the rapid increase in mobile usage. Parks Associates finds most of this mobile viewing occurs in the home -- 60% for the mobile phone and 70% for the tablet -- indicating consumers will engage in blended usage scenarios, with the TV as the preferred screen for viewing, while they use mobile devices for content discovery and selection.
From the article, "Smartphones and Tablets Taking Over the Second-Screen Video Experience."
