Super Bowl increases TV ad revenue and second-screen social interaction

Even watching TV has become a multitasking activity. We have one eye on the show, and the other eye is glued to Twitter or Facebook.

We watch the social channel on our second screen avidly to see what our friends think about the show.

We get a shared experience with our friends during the show and brands capitalise on our dual-screen activities, both in revenue and engagement metrics.

The second screen generates extra ad revenue for the broadcasters that serve ads though social channels like Twitter and Facebook.

For a single event like the Super Bowl CBS is expected to generate between $10 million and $12 million for second-screen advertising during the game.

Over 84 percent of Americans plan to watch this year's Super Bowl from their own home, a friend's house, or a family member's home.

Digital media is important during big events like this--not only for the revenue generated through ads but also for the social interaction on the second screen. In fact, 36 percent of viewers will use a second screen during the Super Bowl to supplement the game-viewing experience.

Aside from major games like the Super Bowl, TV shows also use second screens to generate social conversation during the show. Brandwatch has released a study that analysed conversations on Twitter about the 50 of the top TV shows in the US and the UK throughout 2012.

This analysis shows that dual-screen behaviour grows and retains a loyal consumer following.

Several TV shows are taking advantage of the trend--but leave the conversation to the followers. Over 48 percent of official TV show Twitter accounts do not respond to queries or @ mentions.

The shows that made the most of dual screening during 2012 were The Voice (@nbcthevoice #thevoice), The Great British Bake Off (@britishbakeoff #gbbo), and The Biggest Loser (@biggestlosernbc #biggestloser)

TV shows that display the hashtag at the beginning of the show results in a 63 percent increase of tweets about the program using the official hashtag. During peak TV shows almost 40 percent of all tweets are related to TV.

60 per cent of Twitter users tweet whilst watching TV. These "dual screeners" are most likely to tweet from bed (64 percent), followed by the sofa (25 percent), and the office (6 percent).

Viewers are about 12 times more likely to tweet about a TV show when the show is being broadcast compared to days when it is not being broadcast and 22 times more likely to use the show's official hashtag on broadcast day.

Hopefully the Super Bowl alone will be enough to hold your attention. Maybe the conversation on the second screen will add to your game-viewing pleasure.

Laying on some fantastic food and snacks might just keep your guests glued to the big screen instead of their small ones.