• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 9, 2014

Likely losing out on lucrative ad packages, TV networks are failing to effectively synchronize programming across screens.
 
That’s according to new research from the Consumer Electronics Association and the National Association of Television Program Executives, which report that only 42% of second-screen users have attempted to synchronize their content experience to live TV.
 
Worse, a mere 13% of survey respondents said synchronized content made their program viewing experience “much more enjoyable.”
 
The majority of users said synchronized content made their viewing experience “somewhat more enjoyable” and considered it “nice to have” for certain types of programs.
 
“The study indicates there is an opportunity to expand consumer engagement with the second screen across a broader variety of programming,” Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the CEA, stated.
 
On the bright side, of the second-screen users surveyed, 79% reported accessing a second device while watching TV programming.
 
Nearly all such viewers reported accessing asynchronous program content, either right before watching a show, right after watching, or between episodes or seasons.
 
Significantly, more than half of those who reported accessing synchronous second-screen content said they do so during commercials, which appears to present an opportunity to provide synchronized content that can be easily and quickly accessed during commercial air time.
 
For those consuming synchronized content, the most commonly used device is a smartphone -- driven primarily by millennials, the CEA and NATPE found.
 
The quantitative portion of the study was administered by E-Poll Market Research, which used an online survey to a national poll sample of some 2,531 U.S. adults age 13 and older, late last year.
 
All respondents reported accessing second-screen content related to TV programming -- including TV shows or series, sports, music programming, televised movies and news at any frequency.