Tablets and smartphones battle TV for the role of primary screen
Broadcasters seek ways to cash in on the 'second screen' phenomenon, writes Jamie Carter
Do you watch television with a tablet on your lap or a smartphone in your hand? If so, you're not alone - and it's drastically changing the balance of power in the world of entertainment.
The past decade saw the breakthrough of affordable big-screen televisions, so it's ironic that, for many of us, live television is becoming a background noise to the real business of online shopping, YouTube or Weibo, on a smartphone or tablet.
Broadcasters call this phenomenon the "second screen", and are starting to see it as an opportunity rather than a threat. The trend is at its height in the US and Europe, where many broadcasters provide apps that allow "TV everywhere", instant replay of live TV, and even play-along apps for quiz shows, and voting on reality TV.
IPTV operators such as now TV in Hong Kong and BesTV already offer second-screen services that make television programmes viewable on both a set-top box and a tablet, while television manufacturers such as Hisense - recognising how central this trend is becoming for television viewers - sell smart televisions together with a tablet.
The phrase "second screen" is misleading. What we are really doing is multiscreening. "Multiscreen viewing is expected to become an essential part of a television programme's production, not an afterthought," says Fiona Harkin, senior vice-president for content at Stylus, a research and advisory firm.
She says broadcasters are developing complementary second screen tools and applications for tablets and smartphones. "Broadcasters are responding to consumer desire for more control over when and where they engage with entertainment media," she says.
