Why a 'second screen' is becoming a TV essential

If John Logie Baird tuned into television today, he wouldn't recognise his own invention - and he'd be distinctly puzzled as to why users were watching on two screens, not one.

So-called "second screening" on devices and platforms such as the iPhone, iPad or Android has already begun to revolutionise the way we watch our favourite programmes.

Now, instead of talking about what's happening on screen to friends and family sitting alongside us on the sofa, we're using social networks and TV companion apps to discuss everything from reality TV to the news with people around the world as we view.

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According to research from Sky, 75% of people watch TV while using a second device, with nearly half on social networks. Around 50% of 18-34 year olds believe it makes the viewing experience more fun or ensures they feel part of a larger conversation.

Anthony Rose, co-founder of Zeebox, is one of those at the heart of this new TV revolution. His TV companion app allows people to discuss programmes they are watching, find out more information about episodes and their actors and buy items seen on the telly. It has also just been integrated into Sky's own iPad app as well as being available as a standalone download.

Anthony explained: "Technology always produces change and new opportunities. The beauty of second screen for broadcasters is it really encourages live viewing.

"The next step is having presenters engage with the audiences, commenting on what they say and incorporating their feedback into the programme or crowd-sourcing instant views via polls.

"The future could then see viewers watching a nature programme and guiding an explorer around using Google Maps or controlling the action on screen in some way. These platforms will provide a vast number of different experiences, beyond just talking about a show on Facebook or Twitter."

But he added: "Right now, programme discovery is the biggest desire among viewers with so many channels and shows on offer. Just pressing channel up to find something is mindless. You want to pick up a smart device and see a list of programmes curated for you, the ones your friends are watching, the ones you may like and the ones there is the biggest buzz around.


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"The programme guide is the next thing to be massively reinvented. We already have the likes of remote record but people are most looking forward to a better way to find things to watch on TV."

In America, TV companion app GetGlue is massively popular with two million fans and allows you to 'check-in' when you're watching something for everyone to see.

In Britain, startup Tweek TV has just launched for iPhone and aims to do the same.

It was pitched to top executives from the likes of the BBC, Sky, Channel 4, Five and production companies such as Big Brother maker Endemol and The X Factor's Fremantle at the Royal Television Society's Digital World conference last week.

Some of their reaction was surprisingly muted at what positives such technology can bring but David Jones, of hit music discovery service Shazam, feels these kind of apps are a natural progression. He said: "When it comes to media and television, apps on mobile devices will be increasingly used to interact with what people are watching on TV, whether it’s to get more information about the shows they love or order products they want to buy in the moment."

All the major channels now have streaming or on-demand TV apps such as BBC iPlayer, 4oD, ITV Player, Demand 5 and Sky's Sky Go and Now TV.

Virgin Media is also set to launch its own TV Anywhere iPad app in the coming weeks offering streaming for 30 channels and a whole suite of virtual controls for its customers' TiVo boxes including a souped up remote record that knows if there's going to be a clash on your box and the ability to delete shows off your hard drive to free up space.

A spokesman said: "This is a natural evolution of our TV product which matches the way people are enjoying content today. With the broad availability of connectivity, people want to be able to enjoy what they want, wherever they are and we are looking at more ways to use it as a way to socially view and talk about content with others, even though you are in multiple places."

But social TV is already here and extremely popular with Facebook and mostly Twitter providing the opportunity. Research by second screen analysts SecondSync has found six million unique UK users have tweeted about what they are watching on TV since the beginning of 2012 with 40% of all tweets at peak viewing times directed at TV shows.

The London 2012 Olympics saw a massive increase in social TV chatter and last week's top 10 most talked about television programmes on Twitter, according to SecondSync, were headed by Saturday and Sunday's viewings of The X Factor and included The Only Way Is Essex, MTV's The Valleys, Dr Who and Question Time.

Is MD Andy Littledale believes that while specific second screen apps are set to increase in popularity, Twitter is the perfect embodiment of social TV and will remain so for some time. He explained: "Social media conversation conducted by TV audiences is exploding in popularity. It is reinvigorating the traditional broadcast medium at a time when it is under threat from time-shifted viewing.

"People tweet at the moment they are most engaged with a show and there are none of the privacy issues with Facebook. It is a public platform and users treat it as such."

Closing the RTS Digital World conference last week, Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am tried to press home the message to broadcasters that their traditional way of doing things is under threat. He told shocked bigwigs attending that it's time to see the smartphone and tablet as the first screen, not the second. He is famed for tweeting while live on BBC reality music show The Voice.

The technology evangelist who plans to launch a reality show to find the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs said broadcasters said of mobile: "It should be first. But that is disruption and is going to change the business model because the networks focus on the TV screen."

He also predicted a world where the viewer becomes part of the show they are watching with characters sending them messages and allowing them to steer the action and warned: "Television is yesterday. But these devices are tomorrow."

Top 10 TV Apps

BBC iPlayer

The live streaming and catch-up site now offers the ability to download programmes directly to your device in order to watch them when offline - and can restart live shows from the beginning so you never miss a minute.

ITV Player
Available for iOS and Android, it features a range of channels including live streams for ITV2 and support for Air Play Mirroring allowing iPhone and iPad owners to watch their content on a TV hooked up to an Apple TV box.

4oD
The iPhone and iPad app offers the best shows from Channel 4, E4 and More4 to watch on demand. Only available on iOS.

Demand 5
There are 30 days worth of free access to a wide selection of Channel 5 shows. There is no Android version as yet.

Sky
Sky customers can use the Sky Go app to watch a range of channels live over 3G or Wi-Fi, as long as they are part of their home subscription package. There is also a wide range of on-demand programming. The Sky+ app gives control over the PVR allowing remote record and turns your iPad into a remote control. It also now includes Zeebox for social comment and information.

Zeebox
The social TV app allows viewers to discuss programmes they are watching in real-time with others wherever they are and also find out more information about the shows and the actors in them. There is also the ability to buy items featured on TV.

Tweek TV
A newly-launched social curation app that allows you to receive personalised recommendations on what to watch based on your likes and also what your friends think you might like. There's also a Watchlist to keep an eye on shows so you don't miss them.

Twitter
It may be a social network but Twitter is one of the main ways anybody can be a part of social TV. You only have to look at it on a Saturday night during the winter to see the number of hashtag conversations about The X Factor to know how popular social telly already is.

TV Guide for iPad
Primarily a listings guide, it lets you use remote record for Sky and has some content functionality by hooking in to IMDB and Wikipedia to allow you to find out more about programmes and their stars.

On Air TV Guide
A similar listings app with more than 400 channels for your iPad. Notifications can be set to remind you when something is on while you can view Facebook and Twitter streams to see what people are saying.