• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, April 12, 2012

At a time when so-called “second screen” activity seems to be the rage across the television industry, new research shows that slightly more than half of all minutes U.S. consumers currently spend with their mobile devices are spent while watching television.

The research, which was conducted by GfK Knowledge Networks as part of its ongoing MultiMedia Mentor tracking study, shows that 52% of minutes spent with both tablets and smartphones occur while users are watching TV.

The tablet behavior appears to have an upward age bias, with 67% of Baby Boomer (adults 35 to 49) tablet minutes vs. only 39% of adults 18 to 34 tablet minutes spent simultaneous with TV viewing.

Simultaneous use of smartphones and TV was about the same for both age groups -- 52% of smartphone minutes for the younger group, versus 48% for the older.

GfK KN Vice President-Media Robert DeFelice said the findings confirm that tablets are indeed the “new second screen.” He added that the data suggests potential value for advertisers and agencies running ad campaigns and “other applications” that leverage the simultaneous usage of TV and mobile devices.

“These extensions of the TV experience might include researching advertised products, texting friends about plot twists, or visiting TV program Web sites,” he said.