With an average of 6,4 screens per home in France, each is used for specific purposes, and by different users, according to research by mediametrie.
The television set is the preferred screen on the whole for web users aged 6 years and over (91%), followed by the computer (55%). Tablets are the true favourite of children: in one year, the number of 6-14 year olds using a tablet grew by 10 percentage points to 67% (compared to 46% for those aged 6 years and over). As for smartphones, 84% of web users consider them an essential part of their daily lives. Such are some findings of the latest Screen 360 study which identifies and measures the importance, the place and the usage of each screen in the daily lives of internet users.
“Nowadays, each screen has found its place in the home, because it fulfils specific functions and needs: image quality and comfort on TV screens, internet access and functionality on computers, simple and convenient usage on tablets, communication with friends and family, as well as easier access to multiple content on smartphones. In this way, each of the screens has become indispensable in the eyes of users,” said Jamila Yahia Messaoud, Director of the Consumer Insights Department.
While they are watching television, viewers using another screen are often looking to enhance their TV experience. In fact, 54% of internet users have already gone online in connection with a programme, usually to search for more images or more information via another screen, to get a fuller picture of the programme they are watching.
29% have already written or read comments about the TV programme viewed, and each month, 18% of those aged 15-24 leave a comment on programmes, mainly via mobile.
More than a third of internet users (35%) have already connected their computer to the TV set. 7 out of 10 of them have done this to “enjoy the larger screen” and 53% did so to “watch videos stored on their computer”.
Additionally, tablets and smartphones are also increasingly being used as a remote control for the TV: ¼ of 15-34 year olds have already used their smartphone for this purpose.
The complementary nature of screens is also becoming well established, boosted by the explosion in SVoD services for watching movies and series across all screens.
As such, 21% of internet users have already watched the same programme sequentially, starting to watch on one screen and finishing on another. That represents a rise of 5 percentage points on last year. Among them, those who had started to watch a video on TV often finished watching it on a smartphone (47%). On the other hand, when the video was started on a smartphone, 7 internet users out of 10 finished watching it on the TV.
For 35% of web users who watch sequentially, these videos involve free online content and for 34%, they are TV programmes watched at the time of broadcast. And among web users who watch videos sequentially, 53% watch films or series.