56 per cent of viewers have engaged in second-screening related to the TV program they are watching, with 35 per cent using second screens to purchase an item featured on the television, a new report claims.

While this may bode well for marketers employing a cross-screen strategy aimed at hooking viewers, the report also showed that 56 per cent of respondents had engaged in second-screening not related to the program they were watching, with 37 per cent browsing the Internet for unrelated content.

“Despite some consumers using secondary devices to engage in related content, watching TV is often the secondary action to provide background entertainment,” said Arris 2014 Consumer Entertainment Index. “This is a significant challenge for service providers as consumers are increasingly more distracted from watching the main TV screen during programming.”

The report suggests that the multi-screen lifestyle is becoming increasingly dominant, with 41 per cent of respondents using tablets in the bedroom and 40 per cent using smartphones. In the kitchen, 22 per cent use tablets and 25 per cent use smartphones, and even in the bathroom, 19 per cent have used a smartphone and 13 per cent have used a tablet.

As television becomes less of a central activity, marketers must increasingly shift to mobile advertising to reach a more engaged audience and ensure that their message is getting through to consumers.