Different Age Groups watching the Television

A study of the viewing habits for different age groups show where the most television and film is being watched. Here clearly at home during the evening is the most frequent use of watching television and film across all ages. Where as we can see the younger generation of  ages 16-24 years held the highest percentage of broadly viewing content outside of the home as well as in.    . 

You can see that with the older generation the need for viewing content outside the home isn't important. The older generation are not consumed by the latest technologies as much as the younger generation are as they were bought up in a world that saw watching television as a family occasion. There were no mobile device distractions as the television held the attention of many families around the world. Submerging themselves into the story and the world of there favourite programs or soaps these traditions now seem lost.

The BBC states:

"In 2003 there were 2.03 television sets per UK household but by 2012, this had reduced to 1.83 sets, according to the TeleScope report."

This shows that the younger generation is much more consumed by the use of their devices no matter where they are. With technologies of 3G and 4G now growing in the United Kingdom internet can reach us almost anywhere unless you are unlucky to live in those rural places where signal fails to reach.

Not only are these devices distracting us in our homes but with the use of them almost anywhere we are also being as rude to using them in restaurant’s when we are surrounded by family or when we are having a drink with our friends. Trying to gain the attention of that someone at the table, who would rather be speaking to someone over their mobile device than to you? Highlights the frustration that the television broadcasters are facing to try and win the attention of their audiences.

See more at: http://www.ericsson.com/res/docs/2014/consumerlab/tv-media-2014-ericsson-consumerlab.pdf

Second Screen viewing while Watching TV

Evidence states that most consumers of television maintain a separate use on their devices from the content that is currently showing on the television screen.

If tablet and smartphone users are using their devices whilst watching their content are they being distracted by the device or are they using their device in conjunction with the content on the television screen?

In this graph from Nielson, we can see that the highest percentages of tablet and smartphone users are using their device for unrelated business. But, we can also see that 49% of tablet owners were using their device to look up information on the content.

This 49% of tablet owners were searching content which could be actor information, further story information or information regarding the location of the content. 

Thanks to the internet and second screen we have instant access to more information, to greater understand the content that we are watching whilst we are watching it. 

Why is this necessary when the program is being played?

Well, it isn't necessary, but it is so easy that our impatient selves have to pull our attention away to know more about the content when we should be paying our attention too the content.

Is use in conjunction with the content still distracting the users from what is being shown on the television? 

Well, with a device that has multiple uses whether using it to research information on the content that they are watching or browsing emails, this still moves the audience attention from the content on the television screen to the device. Therefore still distracting the audiences and leading them to miss vital aspects of the program or show.

I wanted to gain the opinion of someone within the television industry to explore their perspective on the distraction in second screen.  Unfortunately anyone is yet to reply. Albert Cheng the executive for the American television broadcaster ABC has made a comment on second screen distraction. ABC did a number of tests with their Grey’s Anatomy show pushing out contextual information within second screen applications, the results of these tests were that the viewers just didn’t care enough about it. Albert Cheng stated “It was interesting to viewers, but not essential,”.  As well as “Second screen becomes a distraction” this is when the engagement happens with the application it ends up taking the attention away from the story of the show.

See more at:
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/action-figures--how-second-screens-are-transforming-tv-viewing.html
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/229324/driven-to-distraction-the-second-screen-dilemma.html
https://gigaom.com/2013/09/11/abc-executive-second-screen-apps-can-be-a-distraction/

Disney's use of Second Screen for Children

Disney introduced the Second Screen Experience in the Bambi Diamond Edition Bluray that was released in March, 2011. This experience allows interactivity between all members of the audience to use the application along side the film. 

During disney's re-release of The Little Mermaid, Disney encouraged the children to bring their iPads to the cinema only if they use the free application to play along with the film in October 2013. Not only is this second screen technology distracting us within our homes but it is now also distracting us at the cinema. For young children, these applications could ruin the film by distracting their attention from the story. With this film being a re-release it may not be an issue for the older generation as they would have possibly seen this disney classic before but the younger generation may not have. Therefore, the use of this application throughout the film will distract from crucial points in the story or will lead the child to miss vital parts of the film. 

Others in the cinema, such as the older generation, may not wish to use a mobile device and are bringing their children to view the film. The lights from the application can then be distracting for the parents who are trying to enjoy the disney classic. 

Second screen experience's although made aware of the type of screening is changing the way we view films at the cinema. Isolating those users that don't have an iPad, as this cinema experience only runs on the apple device, is unfair and can lead to children being left out of the experience.

As this second screen experience has only been screened in America as of yet, a mother who took her three children commented on her experience of this type of viewing.

She said “The main issue is that most activities require children to be able to read to truly participate. Each activity only lasts for a short time, so by the time I read the question and choices to Wren (age 3) or explained what she needed to do or find, time was up."

Obviously through feedback the application wasn’t child friendly for all ages but only from the ages of children that could competently read for them to be able to understand how to play the corresponding game.

 See more at: http://www.muscogeemoms.com/2013/09/21/kids-and-moms-review-disneys-second-screen-live-the-little-mermaid/#sthash.8IzUziRI.dpuf, 

http://variety.com/2013/film/news/something-fishy-about-this-little-mermaid-1200668657/

Television and Second Screen Applications

With distractions by the use of the new technology, the industry is fighting for the attention of their television audiences. This has led such public service broadcasters to try and use this knowledge to their own advantage. These broadcasters aim to bring back the attention to the content that is being shown on the television, with the use of the mobile device in conjunction with the content.

With the use of the second screen in conjunction with television, it has allowed for the cross media to become immediate where you can now play along with the shows and programs.  

Applications have been made for television shows, such as the X Factors creation of the X Factor App. The creation of applications has now allowed interactivity between the audience and the content. With this ITV application it encourages you to watch and participate as a fifth judge giving your opinion and also from October 2014 allows the ability to vote for FREE for your favourite act, which has an influences on the outcome of the program.

The X-Factor also during there show advertise their second screen app as a way of getting their viewers who have their mobile devices to hand to download the app and play along with the show. Therefore they are encouraging participation via second screen so that the audiences attention is on the show and not browsing the web or emails.

Since the launch of the newly revamped interactive app in 2013, we could then sync with the live shows so that us the joe public could be the fifth judge and make our own opinions. Recently they have again taken the app further. 

As Talk Talk sponsor the X Factor, they have advertisement for the intro and outro between the three minute advert breaks that we receive. They have chosen to use the X Factor app to their advantage and get the audience involved in the adverts as well. To do this they created the app Mix Off which was used in the last series of X Factor. This allowed users to create short music video clips and add friends across social media sites with the potential of having your music video selfie broadcasted for the intro or outro promoting talk talk.

"The idea for this year's series was simple and exciting: to bring the excitement of The X Factor to everybody," CHI creative director and partner Micky Tudor explains. 

This just goes to show the extremities of how much one public service broadcaster for one show will go to keep the audiences attention and draw people's interactivity to help keep the audiences investment in the content.

Simultaneous Usage While Watching TV

How distracting is the use of Second Screen whilst watching television?

   

   This table is taken from a study by Nielsen, that tablet and smartphone owners use their devices simultaneously whilst watching the television. A surprising 40% of people use their mobile device on a daily basis while watching their television.

Their attention whilst using the smartphone, tablet or eReader, is not on the content being played on the television but on their device. They are distracted by their need to be on the device for whatever reason they see fit, these 40% of people on a daily basis aren't following the content story or plot as actively as those who don’t have a device in front of them.

Distraction from the content can lead to missing a vital part of a drama that leads the story. This could have a negative effect on whether audiences continue to watch such program when it is scheduled again as they haven't followed the storyline so therefore not invested in the characters or plot.

Watching television has therefore, for at least those 70% of people choosing to use their device several times a week whilst watching television, a more passive viewing experience. But are these people using their devices in conjunction with the television program that is being viewed? Or are we using our second screen's independent of what content is being shown?

Not only is our second screen distracting us from television programs but also being equally distracted during the commercials. The lowest percentage of people, were using their tablet or smartphone to look up information related to the program or advertisement. This showing that other things such as social networking, emails and unrelated information were distracting the viewers attention. The viewers simply wished to use their device independently to do unrelated things meaning that they must not of been interested in the content which they've chosen to view.

See more at: http://www.orchard.co.uk/Blog/TV--the-Second-Screen-1440.aspx

The use of Second Screen in Convergence

The wide choice of content that we currently have at our fingertips across the different platforms that are ever-changing is astonishing. Sky have roughly 1141 channels (including radio), of which 607 of these channels are free to air. With so much choice available to us it’s amazing we ever find anything to watch. 

The choice of content now allows for all generations to be able to locate something that is of interest to them personally. Fighting over the remote has become less of a common affair, as new technologies have been introduced into the household. Different age groups or family members with different preferences can now sit in different rooms using their own device and pick their own content. The idea of the television bringing a family together is lost. With the impacting growth of technology, broadcasters began to see opportunity for multi media platforms to enable content to be viewed not only in the home but on the go with the new use of 3G and 4G networks.

Channels such as the Channel 4 and BBC began to use this to their advantage by creating applications that would allow catch up television outside of the home and on the go. The creation of BBC iPlayer across the internet initially allowed the seven days to catch up on any programs they had missed. In 2014, the amount of days the content was available to catch up was increased from 7 to 30 days. BBC iPlayer is now accessible over many different devices such as mobile phones, tablets, personal computers and smart televisions.

The Telegraph article Technology firms explore 'second screen' opportunity states that 'Watching TV used to be regarded as an immersive activity'. Television distributers are now not only making television programs but are expanding there content over several forms of media including applications for our mobile devices that allow us to interact with the television to keep our attention on the program that is showing. 

The Telegraph states that 'nearly two thirds of teenagers use a second screen while watching television.'. This shows that the young generation that are growing up in a media driven world now have access, knowledge and understanding of the new technology probably better than the older generation. Not only are they starting off young with things such as LeapPads and Nintendo's, people as young as ten are owning iPods, iPads and many other mobile devices which can store applications for TV and film content that the industry are currently bringing to us. 

In an article by The Guardian it states 'Nearly one in 10 schoolchildren gets their first mobile phone by the time they are five,'. I found that this was shocking, what need can a five year old possibly want with a mobile phone.

The use of a second screen has become increasingly popular for people to use within the home. Second screen meaning the use of a portable device while watching television or films, can allow access to supplementary content or applications. The question is how distracting is the use of Second Screen? How is it affecting the way we currently view television?

See more at: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/aug/23/children-first-mobile-age-five