American consumers are increasingly connected and our recent survey shows they are increasingly multitasking when it comes to multimedia. Roughly 40% of tablet and smartphone owners in the U.S. used their devices daily while watching TV, while only 14 % of eReader owners said they watched TV while using their device every day, according to a new study by the Nielsen research group (http://www.nielsen.com)
And what are smartphone and tablet owners doing while watching TV? Checking email. Email was the top activity for both men and women during television programming and commercial breaks. In addition, women reported engaging in social networking more than men, while men checked sports scores more often.
Advertisers should take note that while viewers may be splitting attention between two (or three) screens, 19% of smartphone and tablet owners searched for product information and 13% searched for coupons or deals while the television was on.