The AdReaction 2014 study found that TV is still the most popular device among UK ‘multiscreeners’, with people using it for 148 minutes per day. This was closely followed by smartphones at 111 minutes.

Laptops and tablets clocked up 97 minutes and 55 minutes per day respectively.

The rise of multiscreening means that on average people in the UK spend 50 minutes per day using both a TV and a smartphone, so it would seem that there’s a lot of potential to use the second-screen as part of a multichannel ad campaign.

However, the study also found that only a quarter (24%) of the time spent multiscreening involves looking at related content, which the report refers to as ‘meshing’.

This obviously means that 76% of simultaneous use is spent looking at unrelated content. So basically people are using their smartphones to look at things that have nothing to do with what’s on TV.

Meshing

With relatively little time spent using a second screen to access content related to the first screen it’s easy to see why Ben Davis is so sceptical of its potential for marketing.

The Millward Brown study shows that time spent ‘meshing’ is predominately taken up with search (22%) as people look for more information about what they’re watching (e.g. sports scores or actor bios).

A further 15% user the second screen to discuss what they’re watching via social, while just 9% use it to follow up on a TV ad.

Reasons for meshing

As a result then, the report really underlines what most of us suspected anyway, namely that Google and Twitter stand to be the main beneficiaries of second screening.

If advertisers really want to take advantage of second screening then an effective mobile search strategy and investment in Twitter ads need to be a high priority.

For more information on this topic, read our posts looking more closely at Twitter’s relationship with TV and highlighting some best practice for marketers.

Millward Brown’s AdReaction study surveyed, via smartphone or tablet, more than 12,000 16-44 year old multiscreen users across 30 countries. 

Multiscreen users were defined as people who own, or have access to, a TV and a smartphone and/or a tablet. You can view the full AdReaction report here.