Two screens are better than one

As digital technology has rapidly come to impact every aspect of our daily lives, users habits surrounding television viewership have been similarly transformed. Whereas television used to be the primary display in most consumers’ lives, serving them a wealth of entertainment content and advertisements, in recent years a growing number of smaller, more connected devices have sprouted up to engage with customers throughout their days. Now, television content creators worry as viewers begin simultaneously using smartphones and tablets while watching television, and advertisers fret the possible distraction and loss of attention. But mobile usage doesn’t need to be competitive with television—on the contrary, content that bridges TV and mobile in fun and interactive ways can produce new and more engaging entertainment experiences.

The problem of competing for viewers’ attention is nothing new, and television content creators have attempted to tackle it in a myriad of ways. (TV content, for example, has been infected with social media tie-ins and invested in companion mobile apps.) TV programming has adjusted its scheduling and availability to accommodate users’ new expectations, with web-first initiatives like Hulu coming from a conglomeration of longstanding network giants themselves. Cable companies, too, have begun developing smartphone and tablet native apps that allow subscribers to consume television content on their time and on the device of their choosing. But these efforts, while forward-thinking, aren’t enough. Mobile represents a new opportunity to provide additional value over and above content parity.

“Second-screening” isn’t the enemy. Companies that embrace users’ existing habits will tap into a market pining for new digital experiences, and elevate their content to new interactive heights. One obvious benefactor of this new digital landscape is the news industry—as newspapers and publishers transition to more video content, mobile represents an opportunity to provide contextual insights and assistive data in tandem with the primary content. Punchkick strategist Billy Collins believes the opportunities for news organizations are massive on mobile.

“As consumers continue to prefer screens over pages, news companies that were primary page-driven are transitioning their content to video and interactive mediums. Now, they need to explore ways for their primary content to win on the screens that today’s user prefers.”

But it’s not all about serving interactive footnotes to the TV headlines. Entertainment content can leverage mobile to enhance and expand its stories’ reach. With Microsoft’s Xbox SmartGlass, HBO added trivia and reference content to play alongside its popular Game of Thrones episodes in real time. The tablet application showed interactive maps of the fictional world, provided contextual information about on-screen characters from the novels, and encouraged users to share their impressions and reactions with friends on social media. The experiment demonstrates the immense power of a strategy that embraces second-screening: the experience of viewers using SmartGlass was markedly different and more informed than those without.

As mobile technologies mature, and as connective content platforms adapt, TV fans will begin seeing innovative new content approaches that we haven’t yet imagined. Real-time voting in native apps like ABC’s Rising Star could become the norm among competitive reality shows. Live social engagement could guide the narrative of future 24-hour news programs, and allow users to virtually interact with anchors and interviewees from their living rooms. These ideas are in their infancy, but scream of boundless potential. In the future, television content won’t involve passive viewership—it will be enhanced and expanded by interactive mobile experiences. Whereas mobile once seemed an inconvenient competitor to television companies, it could become their saving grace.