Mobile Viewers Pay Great Attention to TV Programming

Mobile-TV viewers are more focused on TV content when viewed on their smartphones than viewers using on larger devices, the Council for Research Excellence (CRE) reports.

The study found that users of smartphones were multitasking on other electronic devices while viewing TV programming only 14% of the time. The study found much higher levels for tablets (27%), computers (31%) and TV sets (34%).

The study also found that 39% of smartphone viewers looked up show information, posted about the show on social networks or engaged in some other kind of online activity relating the TV programing.

That was a higher rate than television (21%), tablet viewing (27%) or computers (31%).

The study also found that mobile TV viewers are often heavy overall TV viewers and are more likely than non-mobile-TV viewers to be TV show opinion leaders and to use social media to talk about TV, the researchers concluded.

In addition, mobile TV viewers tended to be younger, with a mean age of 35, and that they were more likely than the average consumer to be higher income professionals with graduate degrees. They also reflected more ethnic diversity than non-mobile-TV users, which confirms a growing body of research suggesting that ethnic groups over-index on mobile usage.

Previous findings from the CRE study found that 64% of smartphone consumption of TV programming occurs in the home.

CRE is an independent research group created in 2005 that is funded by Nielsen.

The study, TV Untethered, was launched in November 2012 and is designed to help researchers understand how mobile media devices -- tablets, mobile phones and laptops -- impact overall television viewing behavior.

These most recent findings from TV Untethered come from additional analyses of the study conducted by Boston-based market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey for the CRE.

The study was overseen by the CREs Media Consumption & Engagement Committee, which was cochaired by Joanne Burns, head of research for 20th Television, Fox; and Laura Cowan, research director, LIN Media.

This research suggests greater audience measurement needs to be directed at smartphone viewing, Burns said in a statement. People are bringing devices from room to room, and out of the home, and on their commutes. TV sets still rule in the home, even for the younger demographics -- but elsewhere, and even in the home for multitaskers, smartphones are becoming an important device for viewing professional TV content. It all goes to convenience and portability; more people are watching more TV -- everywhere -- and increasingly on smartphones.

The full report on the latest TV Untethered study findings can be found here.

LINK:	http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/494659-Mobile_Viewers_Pay_Gre...
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