When television first rose to prominence in the 1950s and ’60s, it was an all-consuming medium. TV broadcasts are still a chief area of emphasis for numerous media outlets, but their monopoly doesn’t exist anymore – at least not the way it once did.
The multiscreening effect
People today have numerous screens in their homes and offices, all within a stone’s throw. As such, they’re getting much better at multitasking, watching TV while texting, checking email and using tablets.
A January report from eMarketer revealed the results of research from British Telecom on television viewers’ habits, looking specifically at the United Kingdom. The survey data indicated that 78 percent of British TV viewers are now performing other activities while watching the tube – doing what’s now known as “multiscreening.”
Of UK viewers polled in October, 47 percent said they check emails while watching television, while 37 percent indicated they’ve shopped online and 36 percent have used social media. News content, games, sports scores and dating apps were among the other media competing for people’s attention.
This is quickly becoming a worldwide phenomenon, extending well past just the UK. As more devices with screens continue to proliferate, the trend will likely only grow. Currently, BT has found, 91 percent of laptop users are multiscreening while watching TV, compared to 89 percent with tablets and 83 percent with smartphones.
Digital video’s edge
Television programming has always had a captivating effect on audiences, but that’s becoming less true by the minute. Today, for newspapers and other traditional publishers who need to compete and who continue to look to digital platforms for additional revenue streams, digital video might be the better way to go.
A July eMarketer report shed light on just how predominant digital video has become. In the United States alone, there were 182.5 million digital video viewers, and 190.6 million are projected for 2014. By 2017, that figure should balloon to 204.6 million.
Video is the fastest-growing digital ad format, with spending on the medium expected to continue growing at a healthy rate in the near future. By 2017, it should account for nearly 15 percent of all digital ad spending in the U.S., eMarketer stated. The rise of multichannel marketing campaigns and the convergence of digital as both a content and commerce medium have helped fuel this growth.