TV viewers who use a gadget to surf the web or chat on Facebook while watching TV are migrating away from the laptop and toward the tablet as the preferred personal device, according to new research published by the Strategy Analytics Digital Home Observatory.
The report, “Multi-Screen User Behaviors in the Home,” also found that, for those who own a laptop or a tablet, smartphone use while watching TV is limited to “alert” functions, like text or voice messages, rather than as a TV companion.
“The tablet is clearly becoming the primary TV companion device for advanced users,” says Caroline Park, Senior Analyst and the report’s author. “Designers wishing to engage consumers while in the home/TV-watching environment should, therefore, focus on the tablet as the device with the greatest opportunity to provide a relevant, enhanced TV experience.”
Study participants who own a tablet indicated that this device has now nearly completely replaced the laptop PC as a TV companion device. They only use a laptop for certain tasks, particularly those involving typing.
Comfort and convenience were cited as the major drivers of tablet usage, including device weight, heat generation and fast boot times.
This makes perfect sense to us. Although we have a laptop set up on a mobile desk directly in front of our wide screen TV in the living room, a tablet is much more mobile.
It is lots handier for a quick Google search or visit to a news site, light instant message chatting, or coasting through Tumblr blogs. We suspect the smaller, lighter tablets, such as the upcoming Kindle Fire and its competitors will make this trend even more apparent.
The question is what does this mean to marketers and advertisers?
This report is pricey. It sells for $1,999.
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Tags: Kindle Fire, multi-screen user behavior in the home, smartphones, Strategy Analytics Digital Home Observatory, tablets replacing laptops to surf while watching TV
