Media Stacking and the rise of the Second Screen
Click to view the web pages I created in HTML/CSS and the report I researched and wrote.
The second screen: a new model for journalism
Chris Russell, Head of Product Management News and Knowledge, Future Media BBC says, "Two screen experience is making journalism a totally immersive experience. It is the ability to engage with the same story across more than one platform, including social media." 1
Recent research by Nielsen found that 40% of smart phone users and 42% of tablet users are on their devices while watching TV daily, and this is in addition to all those already sitting on the couch with their laptops. 29% were looking at information related to the program they were watching and 42% were visiting social networking sites. 2 The 2011 Social TV Trends Report carried out by YouGov, showed that 62% of UK TV viewers are online while they are watching TV. 3 The changes seen in user behaviour are informing media broadcasters that their audience is viewing more than one screen at a time and that this behaviour is increasing rapidly.
The way audiences are consuming journalism and the way they are engaging with the content the rest of the audience and the broadcaster is opening up new ways of creating, selling and distributing content. Television networks are tapping into Twitter streams to form additional content for shows and to engage audiences in the long term. Most big events these days include a curated Twitter feed on the television, but there are many people watching the Twitter content unfold on a separate screen.
Making revenue must always be a consideration for broadcasters. At the Online Journalism Awards 2011, Brian Hamman, Deputy Editor, Interactive News at The New York Times, spelled out how big a commitment creating a second screen experience can be, as it requires a lot more staff than writing a traditional news report; you need developers, editors, bloggers, photographers, a TV crew and people to engage on Twitter and Facebook. He noted that when they tried to cut back on staff and not have people assigned to getting conversations going on Facebook and Twitter the coverage was not as successful. 4
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