Second-Screen Inversion: New Devices, New Behaviors

The rapid adoption of smartphones and tablets by consumers over recent years is leading to a revolution in the way that people use a longer-established piece of consumer-electronics equipment the TV set.

Not only are such companion devices enabling people to watch TV on the go via TV Everywhere services, they are also being used extensively to extend and enhance TV viewing within the home. In the U.S. for example, and according to research by Parks Associates, 70 percent of tablet TV viewing takes place in the home.

Consumers are also increasingly using tablets and smartphones at the same time as they watch programs on a TV set. This phenomenon the use of a companion device as a second screen is transforming the way that viewers relate to the programs and even the advertisements that they watch on the TV set and creates new challenges for pay-TV operators, broadcasters, advertisers and technology providers alike.

According to market researchers Nielsen, in the U.S., 85 percent of tablet or smartphone owners use their devices while watching TV at least once a month, with 40 percent doing so every day. Whether consumers are using their mobile devices to control their TV set, to search for content, to enhance their viewing or to share content and opinions with others, the effect on primary or TV set usage is clear the companion device is becoming integral to the TV viewing experience, sometimes surpassing the television set as the primary screen, offering a richer, more interactive experience. NAGRA has dubbed this trend second screen inversion and it's not going away anytime soon.

New devices, new behaviors Whatever the second screen device may be, viewer behavior is changing as a result of second screen usage, which broadly speaking, can be split into two categories multitasking (using the device to do something unrelated to the content on the TV screen) and complementary usage (using the device to access material directly related to the program being viewed).

If the former represents a reduction in the level of attention paid to TV programs, the latter opens up the possibility of deepening the TV experience and strengthening the viewer's relationship with the content.

Whatever the usage type, these behaviors are driven by applications that:

Allow viewers to CONTROL their TV experience by using their smartphone or tablet. The most basic example of this is using the device as a remote control handset to choose and change channels, but more advanced features enable the device to control the TV experience by using touch, gestures or speech.

Enable viewers to DISCOVER content in a way that is more attractive, more intuitive and more effective than the traditional combination of remote control and on-screen guide. Tablets in particular lend themselves very well to the role of discovery tool and can be highly personalized by individual users according to their needs and tastes.

ENHANCE the program on the TV screen, offering metadata (information about a program's cast, directors, writers, etc,) and more immersive content such as games that are related to the program.

Allow content to be SHARED with friends via social circles, from the mobile device application.

What is becoming increasingly clear and what these four varieties of applications have in common is that they use the second screen to improve the experience of watching programs on a TV set. While the remote control and the TV display can be used to achieve similar ends, the second screen can open up new ways of interacting with content that were just not possible before, making viewing more efficient, more attractive and simply more exciting than ever before.

As Simon Trudelle, Senior Product Marketing Director at NAGRA, observed: Smartphones and tablets are increasingly used to start viewing sessions and in some homes it is already clear that it is the handheld device, rather than the TV set, that is most important in terms of controlling the customer relationship and revenue generation. This shift in consumer behavior is only just starting, and will no-doubt present pay-TV operators, broadcasters and advertisers alike with new challenges and also a whole range of new exciting opportunities to define the TV experience of the future.

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