4 Ways Smartphones Can Save Live TV

Linear TV is increasingly under threat from all sides with videogames, iPads, tablets and smartphones all becoming prime competitors. On top of this, there is an increased interest in viewing non-linear and on-demand TV.

Yet, smartphones could be the key to keeping live TV compelling and profitable. Consumer behaviour is changing quickly: 86% of Americans already use their phones while watching TV.

Smartphones are already  augmenting the linear TV experience, and could actually help to increase the hours of live events viewed in four different ways:

1.     Mobile apps

A recent AC Nielsen survey revealed that 33% of consumers regularly use mobile apps while watching TV.

This clearly opens the door for apps that supplement live TV shows, providing further information or interactivity. Multiscreen viewing opens up a variety of advertising tie-ins as well. 61% of simultaneous media users reported that they searched for more information about a product after seeing a TV ad.

2.     Advertising

The presence of a “second screen” makes it easy for consumers to immediately take action when something on television sparks their interest, whether that’s an ad or serendipitous product placement.

For example, when Michelle Obama wore J. Crew gloves at the inauguration, so many consumers flocked to the website that the retailer’s servers were overwhelmed.

3.     Social TV

Twitter is particularly effective at generating conversation that encourages viewers to watch live TV events.

40% of viewers use social networking while watching TV.

And as far as  TV goes, Twitter is the social network with the most clout. Both TV shows and event-based TV can benefit from Twitter integration on some level.

Example 1: Glee

The US series Glee has been particularly effective with their efforts on Twitter.  Each member of the cast has their own account, and Tweets during the show, helping to drive buzz.  It seems that, by including in-show tweeting and interaction with fans when the show is off the air, Glee has managed to create a following of Twitter-dependent fans who love to tweet about it.

Example 2: Super Bowl XLIV

The NFL is also embracing the Twitter trend at this year’s superbowl: The NFL has launched a page of aggregated tweets pertaining to Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIV, and even designated an official hash tag (#SB44) for users to categorize their tweets as Super Bowl-related.

4.     Mobile TV

Viewers are increasingly turning to their phones to watch TV. According to the Harvard Business Review, “The growing adoption of smartphones over the past two years allowed users to watch as much mobile video in three days of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as they watched throughout the entire 2008 Beijing Olympics- an increase of 564%.”

While TV viewing has started to shift to beyond the linear schedule, mobile provides an effective platform to draw people back and get them involved. In fact, During major live events, 25-34 year old multi screen viewers watch 3 times more TV as viewers who only use one screen.