second screen

Several companies are honing second-screen advertising, a method of reaching out on social media to television viewers through tablets, laptops and smartphones while viewers watch their shows.

Only 13% of second screen users say content synched with TV makes the experience more enjoyable, according to survey from CEA and NATPE.

ATSC 2.0, an enhancement of the current television standard, gained some steam Monday when the Advanced Television Systems Committee established a candidate standard for interactive TV, a key element of the new standard. The A/105 standard will let broadcasters take advantages of second screens and provide delivery of additional media via an Internet path.

Former PromaxBDA chief Jonathan Block-Verk is tapped to expand the London-based company’s expansion into television applications.

Among all TV content companies, NBCUniversal leads in the effort when it comes to second-screen “TV Everywhere” efforts, providing more channels than any other premium or basic cable TV group. A report from market researcher IHS, says NBC provides 15 video-on demand channels to “TV Everywhere” initiatives.

In the coming weeks, the ABC O&O will start promotions for its Virtual View — an augmented reality experience that will make its debut at the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. The station hopes the technical enhancement to the broadcast will help draw in more viewers. To take advantage of Virtual View, viewers need to download the app Junaio, which is available for iOS and Android.

The TV industry came up with the term “second screen” to apply to other devices being used while watching television, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. But it’s become apparent that, moving forward, those screens are stealing more and more of viewers’ primary focus. Natalie Bokenham, director of strategy at IPG Media Lab, talks about why the second screen is not the enemy of the TV industry, how it has evolved over the past few years, and what media buyers and planners need to know about it.

The two-pronged research project will measure how consumers and content creators incorporate second screen to interact with media. The findings will be presented in January 2014 at the International CES and NATPE Market & Conference.

Twitter added its biggest partner in CBS to its Amplify advertising program Monday. The network joins ESPN, AT&T and Ford Motor Co. to use the advertising service that sends out short messages on the social network. Twitter and CBS gave an example of an ad called “60 Minutes in 60 Seconds,” which promotes the network’s news magazine.

The Ad Council is using the second screen app for a campaign about emergency preparedness. “By integrating Shazam into this campaign, the Ad Council and FEMA will extend their message, providing additional facts, video and other resources that their audiences need to take action to prepare,” Shazam CEO Rich Riley says.

TV stations need to study their audiences’ behavior to build engaging second-screen apps that truly meet their needs. Bryce Moore: “Fail to put the audience first and you end up creating products because you can, not necessarily because anyone needs it.”

Huffington Post CTO John Pavley says that while consumers today use smartphones and tablets to access more recorded information than live content, that should change within six to 12 months. And, he adds, content providers and distributors should embrace the change, not only by making live content accessible but also embracing the “fifth column” — primarily the people who comment and chat online — by giving them an arena in which to interact.

SecondScreen Networks, a New York-based social TV company that allows TV broadcast ads to sync in real time with websites and mobile devices, is partnering with Webrangers, an Amsterdam-based social TV company offering second screen and social media engagement solutions for the European television industry. This strategic partnership, SecondScreen’s first in Europe, will let TV […]

In a unique social TV partnership, TVGuide.com has replicated USA Network’s second-screen experience, Character Chatter, onto its site. Viewers who visit TVGuide’s summer preview section can participate in real-time social conversations around USA shows like Burn Notice and Covert Affairs, just like they can on USANetwork.com.

TV was always a solitary pastime. Maybe a few family members convened to watch together, but for the most part, TV funneled the world to viewers individually. Now, thanks to “second screens” and the social media they convey, the TV audience can talk among themselves. As they engage in the new pastime of virtual co-viewing, they can express their likes and dislikes in a massive, global back-and-forth.

Smartphones and tablets have become living room companions for TV viewers to an astonishing level in the U.S. Nielsen reports that in its multinational survey of device owners, 88% of people in the U.S. with tablets say they have used their device while watching TV at least once in the last month. When it comes to smartphone second screening, the level of penetration is just as high — 86%.

About two-thirds of smartphone and tablet owners use their gadgets to do things like text or post on Twitter while watching TV, according to Nielsen. So, for Sunday’s game, companies from Coke to Chevy are trying to reach fans on all the “second screens” they have.

A new survey by Ovum finds that almost three-quarters of TV viewers with broadband access surf the Internet at same time and 38% of those are discussing TV shows on social media.

One of TV’s biggest events airs this weekend, and many viewers — 13.3% of them last year — will be multitasking on their laptops, phones and tablets while they watch the Academy Awards. To capture their attention on the “second screen,” a handful of media companies are launching companion experiences.