Television as a Multiviewing Experience

Over the years it is clear that television has evolved into a whole new experience. We have gone from waking up early so we don’t miss our favorite morning television show, to being able to DVR our shows in order to watch them at any point in time. In the past, people would talk to their friends about the most recent episode the next day at school, but times have changed in this sense as well. Now, we are able to have a whole new experience while watching television.

It is clear today that when people watch television they are also using other devices, such as cell phones or laptops, or what is now called “second screens.” By using these second screens, the audiences are becoming more engaged in their television experience. A term that can be used for this is active-audience theories. “These active-audience theories do not attempt to understand what the media do to people, but rather, focus on assessing what people do with media”(Baran and Davis 242). Using a second screen allows television producers to know what the audience thinks of a particular episode or about certain characters. It shows what people are doing to further engage in their television show.

At first, the second screen viewing threatened the broadcast industry, but now it has seemed to help them capture an audience. Second screen television usage is done in a variety of ways. Many people are using their cell phones or laptops while watching their favorite shows. This allows them to contact their friends through text messages, tweet about something happening during the show, post a Facebook status, or even communicate in online forums specifically made for the show.

Many networks today are trying to create Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Fan forum sites, and even apps for the Iphone or Ipad. They are doing this because they want the audience to be active and constantly talking about the television show. “Up to now, it’s been an unexplored spot, an intersection that is attempting to blend the old guard and the new. In one corner, the powerful, long-running powerhouse of broadcasting; and in the other, the impish, unpredictable field of social media” (Ashword).  For example, on Twitter, not only are there television show accounts, but also individual characters from these shows, as well as the actual actors and actresses. People are able to communicate with all of these accounts and be informed of sneak peeks, when the show is airing, etc.  These uses of social media are helping producers get feedback on their shows by getting audience’s reactions. “It turns every episode, every newscast into a live focus group. We’ll know instantly the pulse of the show, the overriding sentiment, what parts draw the most heat” (Ashword). Social networks are able to help capture ratings as well. “Nielsen Holdings NV, the television viewership measurement company, said on Monday it will partner with Twitter to publish a new set of ratings that measure chatter on Twitter about TV programming” (Shih). Now, Television programmers do not have to rely solely on ratings and research, which can be costly.