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99% of Viewers Multitask While Watching TV
Eating (76 percent) and text messaging (69 percent) are among the most common activities, followed by talking on the phone (59 percent), shopping online (51 percent), and exercising (27 percent), according to TiVo’s annual Multitasking and Social Media TV Survey, which investigated the TV viewing habits of 806 Americans.
A remarkable 99 percent of respondents admitted to multitasking while watching TV, with 53 percent multitasking every time or almost every time they watch TV. The majority of those activities involved the use of a second screen, with smartphones ranking as the top device (34 percent), followed by laptops (14 percent) and tablets (13 percent).
Only 6 percent of those surveyed said multitasking activities were related to TV, while 50 percent reported they are never or almost never related to the program they are watching.
When asked what type of show they are most likely to multitask during, 53 percent chose live TV, 28 percent time-shifted TV, and 19 percent content streamed from services such as Netflix.
Despite what appears to be a lack of focus on the TV show at hand, those surveyed said they focus primarily or exclusively on the TV screen 73 percent of the time, perhaps giving TV execs a modicum of relief.
The survey also looked at behavior during commercial breaks and found that less than a quarter of the respondents actually watch commercials, down from 29 percent in TiVo’s 2014 study. Upwards of two-thirds (62 percent) said they multitask every time or almost every time a commercials hits the screen. Popular activities include visiting the bathroom (82 percent) and getting a drink or snack (78 percent).
Comparing commercial break activities among DVR and non-DVR households, TiVo found the following:
- Surfing the Internet: 41 percent for DVR homes vs. 53 percent for non-DVR households
- Checking social media sites: 35 percent for DVR homes vs. 43 percent for non-DVR households
Not surprisingly, two-thirds (65 percent) of DVR owners reported fast forwarding through commercials—nothing new but still cause for some concern among TV execs.
The 2015 TiVo Multitasking and Social TV Survey was conducted online between September 9 and 12, 2015 and completed by 806 people. All participants were over the age of 18, reported watching video in the past month (on any device), and were the primary or shared decision maker when purchasing electronics in their household.
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The picture of the mom in pink is worth the article for me. Beautiful.