Second screen explained

A second screen is a computing device used with two screens to provide complementary or interactive content. The term most commonly refers to using a smartphone or tablet computer while watching television, where the second screen displays related content such as social media discussions, polls, additional information, or interactive features synchronized with the broadcast.[1] [2] [3]

Second screen technology is designed to increase audience engagement and has been found to support social television by generating online conversations around specific content. The term can also refer to multiple monitors connected to a single computer for productivity purposes.

Analysis

Some studies[4] [5] show viewer tendencies of using another device while watching television, such as a tablet or smartphone. Other studies distinguish a higher percentage of comments or posts on social networks about the content that is being watched.[6] [7] [8] Proclaimed benefits from these studies include keeping the audience engaged (via polling, chatting, providing additional information about content, and participants, etc.) and generating revenue via advertising. Second screens can be used as a metering solution to get information about the audience.

Second screen solutions can be both far-reaching and inexpensive, which has led some to think a second screen may replace people meters in the future.[9] One factor hampering the growth of second screens is that many shows are creating their applications for them. It is considered impractical to expect users to download multiple applications and switch between them for each channel or show.[10]

Conference and business meeting organizers may also incorporate second screens.[11] The second screen phenomenon was described as a significant and growing trend by the "2014 Trend Tracker". "Attendees are so glued to their devices, even while watching a live presentation (or at home, on television) that marketers are supplying them with a simultaneous engagement tool they can access on that device," says Robin Stanley, VP-design and creative at GES.[12] "Software tools allow conference session presenters to share slides and presentations in real-time, so attendees can follow on with their device in hand." Second screen technology at conferences allows conference attendees to engage with the speaker and other participants.

Applications

Many applications designed for the second screen give another form of interactivity to the user and another way to sell advertising content.[13] Second screening may also involve applications not formally connected to the primary entertainment.[14] Some examples include:

Sports broadcasting

Sports broadcasters, to stem the flight of the audience away from watching the main screen (the television) to the second screen, are offering alternative content to the main program, such as unseen moments, alternative information, soundtracks, and characters. Proposed new technologies allow the viewer to see different camera angles while watching the game.[29] [30]

TV2 (Denmark), Denmark's largest commercial TV channel, synchronized its Second Screen service with the live broadcast of the Giro d'Italia cycling race from May 5 to May 27, 2012. Viewers on all internet devices could get rider stats, biographies, news, stage reviews, city information, weather updates, and more. Viewers scanned a QR code on the TV broadcast to get connected to the service or typed in a short URL.[31]

In the US, HDNet Fights utilizes a service that synchronizes with live MMA broadcasts. Viewers on smartphones and tablets can get stats, vote on fights and rounds, chat, win prizes, and see how fellow second-screen users voted on fight outcomes.[32]

Other television

Slate described popular procedural dramas like Suits as examples of "second-screen content—shows that don't require viewers to hit rewind if they idly drift off while scrolling their phones."[33] The Hollywood Reporter described the Jennifer Lopez film Atlas as "another Netflix movie to half-watch while doing laundry". John Landgraf of FX Networks bragged that, by contrast, Shogun was "not a two-screen show".[34] Justine Bateman said to The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, that "the viewer's primary screen is their phone and the laptop and they don't want anything on your show to distract them from their primary screen because if they get distracted, they might look up, be confused, and go turn it off." Many users describe this as a 'visual muzak'.[35] In 2025, Netflix reportedly told screenwriters to have characters announce actions, so those watching the streaming service in the background while doing something else know what is happening.[36]

Examples

Primary screenSecond screen
Ares Interactive MediaiOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux
DreamcastVMU
Select Dish Network ReceiversiOS and Android devices using Dish Anywhere Mobile App
Select Disney Blu-ray discs and DVDsiPad and devices running Adobe Flash using Disney Second Screen
GameCubeGame Boy Advance using Nintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable
Nintendo Switch 2GameShare
PlayStation 3PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita using Remote Play
PlayStation Vita using Remote Play; iOS and Android devices using the PlayStation App[37]
PlayStation 5PlayStation Portal
WiiNintendo DS
Wii UWii U GamePad and Nintendo 3DS
Xbox 360Windows 8, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android devices using Xbox SmartGlass
Windows 8, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android devices using Xbox SmartGlass[38] Windows 10 PCs using an Xbox App[39]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Encourage Participation With Second Screen Technology. educationalmeasures.com. 13 July 2017. 10 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170710113534/http://blog.educationalmeasures.com/how-to-encourage-participation-with-second-screen-technology. dead.
  2. Book: Mukherjee . Partha . Jansen . Bernard J. . Correlation of Brand Mentions in Social Media and Web Searching Before and After Real Life Events: Phase Analysis of Social Media and Search Data for Super Bowl 2015 Commercials . November 2015 . 2015 IEEE International Conference on Data Mining Workshop (ICDMW) . 21–26 . 10.1109/ICDMW.2015.60 . 978-1-4673-8493-3 .
  3. Web site: Tata Consultancy Services | Technology, Digital Solutions, Consulting . 2015-10-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150907230401/http://www.tcs.com/Insights/Pages/Revolutionize_Television_Experience_Second_Screen.aspx . 2015-09-07 .
  4. Mukherjee, P., Wong, J.S., and Jansen, B. J. (2014) Patterns of Social Media Conversations Using Second Screens. The Sixth ASE International Conference on Social Computing (SocialCom 2014). Stanford, CA. 27–31 May
  5. Giglietto . Fabio . Selva . Donatella . April 2014 . Second Screen and Participation: A Content Analysis on a Full Season Dataset of Tweets: Second Screen and Participation . Journal of Communication . en . 64 . 2 . 260–277 . 10.1111/jcom.12085. subscription .
  6. Web site: Newswire – In the U.S., Tablets are TV Buddies while eReaders Make Great Bedfellows – Nielsen. nielsen.com. 2 October 2015.
  7. Web site: Living With Digital: Consumer Insights into Entertainment Consumption. December 9, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111125080059/http://www.futuresource-consulting.com/living_with_digital.pdf. November 25, 2011.
  8. Web site: What Do TV-Social Media Multitaskers Talk About?. emarketer.com. 2 October 2015. 23 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923235931/http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008301. dead.
  9. Web site: Nielsen Families Become 'Framilies,' Ratings Giant Begins Registering Mobile Devices in TV Households.
  10. Web site: 5 Things Keeping Second Screen Apps from the Masses – Double Encore. 2013-04-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20190217092521/https://possiblemobile.com/2013/04/5-reasons-why-second-screen-has-yet-to-go-mainstream/. 2019-02-17. dead.
  11. Web site: White Papers. NiceMeeting. 2014-06-04. 2017-12-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20171213144039/http://www.nicemeeting.com/resources/whitepapers. dead.
  12. Web site: 2014. 2014 Trend Tracker. May 5, 2023. UFI.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20250305175341/https://www.ufi.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2014_ges_trend_tracker.pdf. 2025-03-05. dead.
  13. Web site: Double The Glow: Will Second Screen Apps Change the Way We Watch TV?. GOOD Magazine. 2 October 2015. 2011-08-14.
  14. News: Yahr . Emily . 2018-01-04 . Do you fall down a Wikipedia rabbit hole after each episode of 'The Crown'? You're not alone. . en-US . Washington Post . 2020-11-07 . 0190-8286.
  15. News: Twitterrevolución. Ediciones El País. EL PAÍS. 2 October 2015. 2011-03-13.
  16. Web site: Tweeting for TV Twitter Developers . 2011-12-09 . 2011-12-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111202024514/https://dev.twitter.com/media/tweeting-for-tv . dead .
  17. Web site: Maximizing TV Advertising ROI. secondscreen.com. 2 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20140118112209/http://www.secondscreen.com/how-it-works. 2014-01-18.
  18. Web site: 2011 MTV Video Music Awards – Highlights, Winners, Performers and Photos from the 2011 MTV VMAs. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713111210/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2011/. dead. July 13, 2011. mtv.com. 2 October 2015.
  19. Web site: The Miso Sync Experiment. Dropbox. 2014-01-25. 2011-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20110714213512/http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2849649/The_Miso_Sync_Experiment.pdf. dead.
  20. Web site: CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news. CNET. 2025-11-27. en.
  21. Web site: Biggs . John . 2012-06-04 . Microsoft Introduces Second-Screen Feature, Xbox SmartGlass . 2025-12-29 . TechCrunch . en-US.
  22. Web site: Sony announces PlayStation app for iOS and Android, will expand games to the second screen. Sean Buckley. AOL. Engadget. 21 February 2013 . 2 October 2015.
  23. Web site: Sony Announces PlayStation 4, Second-Screen Experience PlayStation App for iOS. macrumors.com. 20 February 2013 . 2 October 2015.
  24. Web site: Xbox SmartGlass official as second-screen feature. SlashGear. 2 October 2015. 2012-06-04.
  25. Web site: Using Chat Transcription. 2021-10-04.
  26. Web site: ZELDA NOTES for Nintendo Switch App . 2025-12-03 . www.nintendo.com . en-US.
  27. Web site: Nintendo Switch App - Nintendo CA . 2025-12-04 . www.nintendo.com . en-CA.
  28. Web site: 2025-06-06 . How to Use Zelda Notes - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Guide . 2025-12-04 . IGN . en.
  29. Web site: Alternative angles in Sports broadcast. https://web.archive.org/web/20120404031954/http://broadcastengineering.com/products/evs-c-cast-second-screen-smartphone-servers-09142011/. dead. April 4, 2012.
  30. Web site: Second screen is future of interactive coverage. TVBEurope. 2 October 2015. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151003213954/http://www.tvbeurope.com/second-screen-is-future-of-interactive-coverage/. dead.
  31. Web site: Giro 2.0 – second screen experiences. eventbasedinnovation.org. 2 October 2015. 4 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151004001342/http://eventbasedinnovation.org/giro-project-description/. dead.
  32. Web site: Mobovivo Launches Social TV Platform to Utilize Second Screen. techvibes.com. 2 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151005235305/http://www.techvibes.com/blog/mobovivo-launches-social-tv-platform-to-utilize-second-screen-2012-04-19. 2015-10-05.
  33. Web site: Adams . Sam . 2024-01-30 . Why Suits Was the Most Streamed Show of 2023 . 2024-06-08 . Slate . en-US.
  34. Rich . Katie . 2024-05-20 . 'Shogun' Starts Some Drama . Los Angeles . en.
  35. News: Goldberg . Lesley . 2023-07-21 . Justine Bateman: Pulling AI Into the Arts Is "Absolutely the Wrong Direction" . 2025-02-01 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  36. Tavlin . Will . Winter 2025 . Casual Viewing . 2025-02-01 . n+1 . en-US . 49.
  37. Web site: Buckley. Sean. Sony announces PlayStation app for iOS and Android, will expand games to the second screen. 21 February 2013 . Engadet. 5 May 2013.
  38. Web site: Lawler. Richard. Xbox One SmartGlass brings more control, content to companion devices. 21 May 2013 . Engadet. 28 May 2013.
  39. Web site: Windows 10 includes in-home game streaming from Xbox One. Orland. Kyle. Ars Technica. January 21, 2015. January 22, 2015.

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