• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, April 6, 2012

The evidence is mounting that the new American living room is a multi-screen experience that programmers and advertisers will need to master. New research from Digitas and Harris Interactive shows that 63% of Americans say they have browsed online content on some device while watching TV. The jury is still out on how much that second screen is distracting or enhancing the first screen experience, however. The survey finds that 27% of people say they have gone online for content related to the show they are watching. But a much larger 48% say they are browsing content that is unrelated to the TV program.

The key to tying the two screens together is obviously capitalizing on user passion and interest. The entertainment category has an especially big opportunity to use one screen to drive interest in another. More than half (58%) of respondents said they would go online to seek additional videos of a favorite TV show. For the 18-34 segment, that hunger for exclusive video attached to a favorite show escalates to 69%. Typically, a majority of people who view and enjoy a video that a friend posted will share it with three others.

The Digitas-commissioned research argues that audiences are actively seeking and sharing video across screens. More than half (51%) of online video viewers in the 18-44 age segment say they would look up more information about a brand if an online video mentions a new product or brand. Even older demos (55+) are activated similarly by video, with 39% saying they would be motivated to dig deeper for more information.

Digitas says that video remains an especially alluring media format across screens. It finds that 58% of people who follow brands on social networks would view a video posted by the brand. And 62% of 18- to-34-year-old video viewers with a favorite celebrity would check out an online video starring that celeb.