Mobile trends data supporting two-screen Social TV experiences

Posted by Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP in Writers on September 16, 2010  |  0 Comments More from this author  |    |  Follow Gianluigi Cuccureddu SMP on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter |

eMarketer has released the report "Seven Key Trends in Mobile Usage", that gives insights in how users consume, create and share content on mobile devices.

Noah Elkin, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the report:

“As feature phones give way to smartphones and tablet devices, mobility is taking on new dimensions.
The ability to consume, create and share more content than ever before translates into increased engagement on mobile devices.
It also means enhanced opportunities for marketers to reach out to potential customers via mobile.”

One of the biggest keys to these new marketing opportunities is the rise of smartphones.
As eMarketer reports:

According to ChangeWave Research, and Nielsen expects smartphones to be in the hands of half of US mobile users by the end of Q3 2011.

The rise and adoption of the smartphone is a positive sign for companies who want to reach their users with a two-screen Social TV experience.
With this comes that the mobile market is maturing with a critical mass of users that are increasingly receptive to marketing and content via the mobile devices.

Looking at the reasons/usage of mobile devices:

Social networking is the primary way how mobile users exchange information.
Movie information and video sharing services also rise by a 90+% in a year time period.

Adding to this is the iPad and other mobile devices, that are rapidly changing mobile usage and the opportunities for Social TV.

The aforementioned data supports the investigation and further development of a two-screen Social TV experience.
Especially the high users volumes of Social Networking, Movie Information and Video-sharing Services indicate that users are familiar with these types of usages on mobile devices.

Making the step towards a two-screen experience is a natural and less disruptive experience than cluttering the television screen with applications and hussling with a remote/keyboard to interact.

What will happen though if the iPad will truely become the primary entertainment device as supported by eMarketer data?
If so, Social TV must be presented in an easy-to-use and simple one-screen experience.

Until the industry has a clear understanding on what Social TV intrinsically is, why users share and interact on TV content and what the content of interaction is, it will be a process of trial-and-error plus a thorough understanding of the current set op Social TV applications and learning from them.