Australian Report - 74 per cent of Viewers with Broadband Media Stack with TV

Posted by Richard Kastelein in Breaking News on October 31, 2011  |  0 Comments More from this author  |    |  Follow Richard Kastelein on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Anthill Online in Australia is reporting that new numbers by Ovum are showing similar media stacking numbers in Australia as is being reported in the North America and Europe.

Holy multitasking. According to a new study by telecoms stat gurus Ovum, a cool 74 per cent of consumers with a broadband connection cruise the interwebs while watching the telly. What’s more, Ovum found that 37 per cent of the consumers its spoke to indulge in the so-called second screen.

The trend is strong in both emerging and well-established markets. India’s early adopters are more than holding their own, while in Japan 76 per cent of connected consumers use the second screen at least occasionally.

In the report Ovum found that overall 51 per cent of consumers chatted with use the internet for finding further details on the TV content they’re watching and thirty-eight per cent said they used social networking sites, such as Facebook, to discuss the TV programme. These figures rise to 59 per cent and 53 per cent respectively for 16 to 23-year-olds.

Ovum principal analyst Michael Philpott reckons social TV trends may be both a blessing and a curse for the TV industry.

“On the negative side, increased adoption of more personal internet connected devices, and our growing reliance on and interest in internet applications, have reached such a level that they are diverting our attention away from the TV.”

“It is therefore feared that it might only be a matter of time before more valuable advertising revenues also move away from the TV and onto the second screen.”

“On a more optimistic note, there are a number of applications currently being developed that help the TV industry take advantage of these trends. The applications directly tie the TV and social networking sessions together, creating a new, fuller, and more interactive TV experience.”