Two-Thirds of Smartphone and Tablet Owners Use Them While Watching TV

Agencies and advertisers are becoming increasingly intrigued by the relationship between users’ consumption of TV content, and their use of mobile connected devices. According to new research by The Nielsen Company, that link is a strong one, and over 68 percent of tablet and smartphone owners report using them in front of their televisions.

In fact, according to a survey of nearly 12,000 device owners, Nielsen suggests tablet users make use of their device in front of the TV more than in any other situation, followed by lying in bed, and then with friends or family.

Smartphone owners demonstrated different behavioral patterns, meanwhile, probably due to the compact and more portable nature of those devices. As with tablets, watching TV topped the list of situations in which smartphones were used, but was followed closely by shopping or running errands, and then by waiting for something – such as a train, for example.

Overall, smartphones are used across a much wider range of situations than tablets, which are reserved largely for use in the home, the data suggests.