Media / Turner

Guidelines for Optimizing the Social TV Experience:
Innerscope Helps Turner Define Social Media Principles That Keep Viewers On-Channel

Challenge

Like many businesses, Turner Broadcasting faces the challenge of marketing to the Millennial Generation. Delivering this audience to advertisers means understanding how Millennials want to watch television and how to keep them engaged with programming. Millennials are heavy cell phone users: According to Nielsen, more than 90 percent of young adults age 18 to 34 have mobile phones, and 80 percent of those are smartphones. This generation doesn’t disengage from their electronic companions when they watch TV; instead, they use their phones to watch TV socially. To stay ahead of this trend and successfully engage viewers, media companies must embrace second-screen viewing and social media principles.

“We are using Innerscope Research to develop second screen interactions that connect emotionally and create the best multi-screen viewing experience across Turner programming.”

—Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer, Turner Broadcasting

Solution

Turner Broadcasting partnered with Innerscope to understand the impact of second screens on the viewing experience and the strengths of different app options, such as show-specific apps and social media apps. Using its breakthrough Biometric Monitoring System™ combined with mobile eye tracking and surveys, Innerscope evaluated the behavior, attention and emotional responses of 126 Millennial viewers watching comedy and entertainment news programs across a variety of social scenarios.

The data revealed five core principles:

  • Social media and second screen viewing are here to stay.
  • Social viewing is more engaging for this demographic than solo viewing.
  • Second screen viewing “fills the gaps” when Millennials might otherwise be inclined to change the channel.
  • Audio is critical and can be used to direct visual attention back to TV ads.
  • Second screen viewing apps can increase engagement with TV programming if they are designed to complement the content.

Results

  • Turner Broadcasting used Innerscope’s insights as guidelines for optimizing the second screen viewing experience for its viewers and advertising partners.
  • Turner Broadcasting presented the study’s results at the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing’s 2012 Insights Conference. The results were also covered in major media and mobile trade outlets, including Advertising Age, MediaPost and AppMarket.tv.