Tablets and Smartphones, Not Smart TVs, Will Be Engine Behind Social TV, Analyst Says

Second-screen devices will fuel the behavior of social TV consumers over the next two years, according to research from Gartner. Gartner’s latest findings coincided with Samsung’s launch of its 2013 Smart TV lineup (see separate report in this issue), which focused on the company’s Smart Hub platform, including a dedicated social TV section, for connected TVs and mobile devices.

Social TV -- defined by Gartner as consumer engagement, communication and interaction while watching television -- can enhance the value of the TV experience for consumers and offer a way to bring in new viewers, drive engagement with programming and open new advertising opportunities through social networks, said Michael Gartenberg, Gartner research director. Tablets, smartphones and Ultrabooks “are likely to be the principal force behind the social TV experiences as companion apps are increasingly written for that experience,” Gartenberg said. Content integration, social interaction and loyalty programs will drive the social TV experience, he said.

Efforts in the past to link TV broadcasts to the Internet have included content companion websites or set-top boxes attached to TVs, Gartenberg said, but “none of these approaches has led to the creation of a true social TV experience for consumers,” he said. But now, social networks including Facebook and Twitter enable users to create and check status updates as they discuss TV events or programming occurring in real-time, he noted. More content-specific apps are appearing that deliver bonus programming, “tighter community engagement” and larger social interaction through second-screen devices, he said. And incentive programs are generating loyalty among viewers through rewards, check-ins and other “gamification methods,” he said.

While TV makers are attempting to participate in the social TV space through their own app ecosystems, “most social TV experiences are solely delivered through companion apps for portable devices rather than the TV” or the set-top box, Gartenberg said. “There has been a shift to companion screens,” he said.

Gartenberg sees social TV as a way for content and service providers to reduce potential customer churn. He also sees the real-time nature of social TV as a potential boon for broadcasters because “the net result of these activities will help turn users away from time-shifted catch-up TV experiences, and the commercial-skipping activity associated with them, and back toward live broadcasts."

The remote control, already impacted by control apps on smartphones and tablets, could be further threatened in Gartner’s social TV world as second-screen device makers create additional perceived value for their products. Gartner expects to see device vendors working with social TV apps to “not only deliver content and services but also command and control functions for other hardware devices such as TVs, games consoles and audio systems,” Gartenberg said.

Gartenberg doesn’t see the transition to social TV through second-screen devices as a major shift in how consumers interact with each other when it comes to TV programming. “Watching TV was historically a social activity, either as a shared viewing experience or as the topic of post-viewing discussion and analysis,” he said. Twitter and Facebook just give viewers additional tools, he said.

At the same time, the first screen is expected to remain the primary video sharing device in the home, Gartenberg said. “Connected TVs will give access to a much wider range of content via the Internet, offering the possibility of worldwide video sharing, which will also extend the social TV experience beyond local friends and into a truly global arena,” he said.