• by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, May 11, 2016

Euro 2016 is just a month away and three of the four UK "home" nations will be taking part. For Wales and Northern Ireland, the theme for fans seems to be enjoy the experience while it lasts. For England it will be the usual fooling ourselves into thinking we stand a chance by building up our heroes before slating them as they fail to live up to our expectations.

One set of researchers, however, believes the tournament will at least see second screening crowned as an engaging channel to reach people through as the tournament unfolds. Marketing technology company RadiumOne's research predicts that two in three Britons will watch Euro 2016 and use an Internet-connected device at the same time. Furthermore, 60% of fans will share content onlne and nearly half of those sharing tournament content online will do so three or four times every day.

The top activities, which will be carried out by roughly one in four fans during games, include checking social for match-related comments, posting comments, and messaging friends about the game as well as searching for information about the match and wider tournament. Three in four will be using smartphones, although perhaps surprisingly, 60% will have a tablet and 64% will have a laptop by their side -- presumably meaning most will have a choice of both small or medium screen for their football banter.

Now, I have to be very clear that I have not been totally sucked in by the second-screening excitement. In fact, there was some great research published recently that suggested what we all suspect is true. Second screening happens, but not during compelling shows. When you're engrossed in one of the big dramas during which an advertiser wants to reach out to you, the chances are you're wondering who the killer is or what the next plot twist will be that is going to unfold. Put simply, when the content is compelling, there is virtually no second screening.

However, much as i remain to be convinced about the power of second screening, there is the caveat that some television content lends itself to messaging and checking each others' views. Talent shows and reality programming are good examples. Probably the best must be watching sports, particularly football, or soccer if you prefer. There is not a game that goes by without me looking up what friends are saying about a game, what pundits are predicting about the next half and searching to find out where the guy in defence for the other side used to play. It's what sports fans do. We look things up, express opinions, and best of all, rub it in should our team win and run away from the mobile if we lose.

So, I'm willing to give second-screen evangelists a break on this one because it just makes perfect sense that social media and messaging apps will peak around each game and the same for search. There will be some social winners there -- and to put my neck on the line, expect to see Paddy Power hit the nail on the head with a couple of posts that will go viral and possibly get the bookmaker accused of bad taste at some stage.

So, yes, there will be many more people that usual going to social and messaging apps but I'm not entirely sure how much extra opportunity this will offer brands. People will generally be sharing pundits' comments or commenting on the game to friends, so the opportunity for direct response will be pretty minimal. Perhaps there's an opportunity to get some sports-related content shared, perhaps with some brand awareness building for companies wanting to be associated with the sport. Basically, however, advertisers are still going to have to realise they are getting in between football fans finding out more about the game and sharing banter with one another. 

There's an opportunity there but i wouldn't want to overstate it, unless, of course, you're Adidas or Nike and a star has just scored wearing your equipment. Other than that, people will not be out there looking for new things to buy or subscriptions to sign up for. The second screening will create more views to advertise against but don't expect an audience on the verge of making some big decisions other than who's turn it is to get the beers in and whether the boss will notice we've all "caught a cold" on the afternoon when England plays Wales.