MUMBAI: People who use personal devices such as tablets and smartphones at the same time as watching TV are ignoring television commercials almost completely, according to new research published by the Strategy Analytics Digital Home Observatory.

The report, ‘Multi-Screen User Behaviors in the Home‘, identifies why multiscreen users shift their focus between devices and how this varies according to the type of television content viewed. For example, high impact scenes on television screen can divert user attention away from personal devices, while television advertising diverts attention toward them.

Strategy Analytics senior analyst and the report‘s author Caroline Park said, "Simultaneous use of several screens is a behavior that is being readily adopted and has quickly become the main way that early adopters choose to experience watching TV. Multiscreen users very rarely concentrate solely on a television show in its entirety, and
while this presents challenges to the TV industry, it also offers new opportunities for viewer engagement."
 
The study also found that TV ad breaks have an impact on casual games played on personal devices. Survey participants noted that they preferred games which didn‘t take long to complete, or which were not time-dependent, so that they could fit their games activity into the ad breaks.

"Understanding when and how `focus shifts‘ between the TV and personal devices occur is key to delivering a superior multi-screen user experience, as well as providing an opportunity to retain the attention of viewers on advertising," concludes Park.