The Second Screen Experience

Midway through any given television show, I find myself looking at my phone and having to rewind the program to see what I missed. Usually, the culprit is Viggle. Viggle has been a part of my routine for about five months and provides its users with a unique way to earn rewards while watching TV. For example, if Batman Begins were airing on ABC Family right now, you could check in a-la “Shazam”, and wait for the points to rack up. If it was a featured program, you could answer trivia for extra points, which could then be redeemed for prizes, like the $25 Best Buy Gift Certificate I received last month. Viggle is not alone in providing a second screen for television viewers, the Team Coco App also provides extra content synchronized with the broadcast of every episode. The content could range from extra videos to behind the scenes content. Second screen experiences are on the rise and can provide great ways for increased exposure to your market and a new way to sell ad-space.

 
 The Guardian posted an article providing statistics relating to the “second screen.” They provided several resources outlining some of the statistics for example, a study released in October 2012 by IMRG (UK’s retail industry association) that said 80% of smartphone owners used their device to browse for a product after seeing it on TV. 81% of tablet owners and 73% of laptop owners also use their device while watching television. These numbers are relatively large, so it doesn’t surprise me that Samsung has recently acquired a second-screen start up in order to develop this particular bit of technology. This, in my humble opinion, will improve the television experience. Our species has been multitasking since even before the iPhone, it’s about time we jazzed up the television watching experience. I’m ready for minority report to become a reality...sans "Pre-cogs".