According to a survey out today from YouGov, people in Britain are not quite ready for connected TV viewing. The research shows that 50% of the UK residents polled are mostly buying new televisions for a more up-to-date model rather than thinking about connecting it to the Internet. 96% of SmartTV owners said that the picture quality was the most important feature followed by 93% focussing on screen size and 89% looking for better sound quality. Slightly more worrying, only half of the respondents (53%) correctly identified a SmartTV as a set that directly connects to the Internet without requiring another device and one in four SmartTV owners have never used it to connect at all.
Whether on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, using a second screen to tweet about TV is becoming a common occurrence - and it is called “chatterboxing”.
According to a survey conducted byTV Licensing, those aged 18-24 are the biggest uptakers of chatterboxing, with 46% of people who use social media taking part.
But the 25-34s are catching up - with 43% now chatterboxing, and in the 35-44 age range, 31% are already using second screens.
Communications manager Dan McLoughlin has been chatterboxing for months.
He said: “It makes TV such a social experience. We don’t often sit with family or friends to watch TV any more, so it makes it social.
The way that people choose to entertain themselves now, is not just listening to the radio during the day and watching the television in the evening. It’s far more about getting their news online, some on television, talking about it, recording it.
Emma Mulqueeny, from developer network Rewired State
“On these panel shows like X Factor or Strictly (Come Dancing), I value the comments of my friends and other people tweeting - and celebrities - more than the actual people on the panels themselves.
“I’m more excited by what happens on Twitter than what’s on the programme itself.”
Broadcasters are getting wise to this. They have realised if many people are tweeting about a programme while it is on air, more people will read about it, then tune in.
Social TV applications have been developed specifically for second screens.
On apps like Zeebox, Miso or Getglue you can tweet next to a live TV feed.
This is where money can be made because some of these apps have “click to buy” options, so users can directly purchase products advertised on TV.
Emma Mulqueeny, from developer networkRewired State,said: “With adverts, people can now pause and fast-forward.
“So advertising through television needs to become more clever and more directive marketing, bearing in mind what people are talking about.
“It’s difficult to guess what this is going to be like in two or even three years’ time.
More at: http://news.sky.com/home/technology/article/16189017
New TV and social media trend among the youth: study (via @Reuters @jeffmclfc)
New TV and social media trend among the youth: study | Reuters
“Eight out of 10 respondents to the poll said they used Twitter, Facebook or other mobile applications to actively comment on shows and chat with their friends as they watch.
“The audience have already taken their seats and are ready to join the conversation,” James said. “It’s now up to the TV companies to tap into this huge and lucrative market.”
One of the key findings of the study was that Social TV is popular because it allows young people to instantly comment on their favorite shows to friends in different locations via the web or mobile phones.
The British survey discovered that the most common way to communicate is to use Twitter (72 percent), followed by Facebook (56 percent) and mobile applications (34 percent), while 62 percent of Social TV users like a combination of all three.
The study found that 34 percent of respondents described the trend as “fun,” 32 percent said it made television “more interesting” with 42 percent mentioned the “community” aspect of Social TV.
