• by Wayne Friedman , December 28, 2012

While social media TV activity continues to grow during the time people watch TV, the biggest TV-related activity is still talking with someone in a room while viewing a TV program.

When asked "how often do you talk about TV in the following ways," a new study from CTAM, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing group, says 67% of respondents said "with people in same room while I'm watching."

Another 62% say it comes with "face to face" conversations, and 37% say it comes via phone conversations. That is followed by newer digital communication: 31% from texting (with a much higher number -- 47% -- for those younger 18-34), and 29% from Facebook postings (with a higher 40% for those 18-34).

Despite growing real-time conversations using newer technologies like social media, the study says much of these TV interactions -- 83% -- occur the next day and onward. This includes talking with people while watching a TV show, phone conversations, texting, posting messages on Facebook, tweeting in Twitter, emails, blogging, using TV check-in apps or live chat on Xbox.

That said, a healthy portion -- 75% of this activity -- also occurs right after a TV show has ended, with 70% happening during a show, either during the content itself or during commercials. Some 49% of TV interactions occur before a show airs.

During a show, the CTAM study says 35% of activity is for live sports; 29% for news content; 28%, comedy; 25%, reality TV shows; and 24%, drama. After a show has ended people tend to talk and/or discuss 39% of the time about comedies; 39% about movies; 37% for dramas; 35%, news; and 32% about crime dramas.

"Watching TV photo from Shutterstock"