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November 20, 2025
Are Second Screens Good or Bad for Engaging Consumers?
According to the 2025 Retail and Holiday Study from Tubi, the streaming TV platform owned by Fox, 47% of viewers are driven to shop spontaneously while streaming — with 71% noting “I’m often shopping online while streaming TV and movies.”
Per a survey of 1,531 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll (via Tubi), purchases while streaming are most often influenced by ads (44%) and the TV/movie genre viewers watched while shopping (41%).
After seeing an attention-grabbing ad while streaming, 87% indicated they take action (research, purchase, go to brand’s site or social channels, etc.), with 60% agreeing that “If I see an ad for a product I want, I buy it right away.”
Recent research from Advocado found 69% of U.S. consumers use a second screen, after seeing an ad, to find more information on a product or service that piques their interest — whether by exploring the brand’s website or app (34%), via a search engine (30%), or by visiting an ecommerce site (19%).
An eMarketer study last year, conducted with Shopsense AI, found 62.7% of U.S. consumers discover new brands or products through TV content, with well over a third (38.7%) searching online to consider buying something that they saw on TV.
Second Screens: Study Findings See Retail Opportunity, Despite Existing Skepticism
The findings throw some doubt on the notion that second screening, or individuals multi-tasking on their mobile phones, iPads, or laptops while watching TV, is a net negative for advertising, as viewers concentrate less on the commercials being shown.
A Bain & Co. study concluded that the increase in multitasking by media users requires advertisers to rethink long-established campaign models and move measurement of engagement from reach to attention.
“There is plenty of scope for media companies to lean into these trends, to rethink and to adapt to the changing landscape,” said Nicole Magoon, a partner in Bain & Company’s Media & Entertainment practice. “If you know someone is scrolling Instagram while streaming your show, you can — for example — have a live tie-in to drive engagement with characters and with shoppable content in the feed. The imperative is to reimagine current models that are threatened by the trends we’re seeing.”
MNTN Research, which explores the streaming television and media landscape, offered three paths to reach second screeners:
- Relevant Ads: MNTN pointed to research from Integral Ad Science (IAS) showing that 73% of consumers find ads more personalized to them to be more appealing, with 68% enjoying seeing ads that relate to the content they’re viewing. MNTN stated, “Targeted, relevant ads will make it even more likely that users will pull out those second-screens and do more research after seeing the ad on their TV screens.”
- QR Codes: Adding QR codes to shows makes it easier for viewers to use their second-screen devices as research and purchasing tools while watching an ad on TV.
- Cross-Device Campaigns: Incorporating cross-device campaigns into strategies can ensure ads “are being served to these users enough times and in enough places that the message will eventually drive conversions on these second-screens.” Research from BrightLine, a platform for interactive streaming ads, finds aided recall on CTV ads returned 72% for standard video and 79% for interactive ads, but message recall is low — as ads are often forgotten once the next episode starts, or the viewer turns off the TV.
Discussion Questions
What’s the best way for brands to connect with TV viewers who are increasingly multi-tasking on second screens?
Do you see more opportunities or challenges in reaching potential shoppers, given the ubiquity of second-screen use while watching TV?
Poll
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Tom Ryan
Managing Editor, RetailWire
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Most people multitask with their phones while doing other things. Regardless of whether this is healthy or not, it does give brands an opportunity to reach people via advertising, product placements, or other mechanisms within streaming content. The only caveat is that the marketing needs to be attuned to the audience – which is kind of obvious. Where this happens and where there is authenticity it can work well. The best recent example is Coach’s sponsorship of the Amazon show The Summer I Turned Pretty. It drove a lot of engagement with the brand by Gen Z.
Could Darwinism be at work here? I have to think that those nit-wits who nearly walk into me while thumbing their screems are just as likely to walk in front of a truck doing so
It should be at work. Not being spatially aware in public places is rude and inconsiderate. This also applies to the people who will come to a complete standstill right in front of the entrance to a store!
Long term you may not even need to be second-screening for the ad to hit your device – think while watching your favorite movie or show you receive a notification (sms or app notification) with the ad/offer that drives your to engage on your second-screen. As hyper-personalization becomes the norm there will be more opportunities for brand placement in the media whether a show, a movie, a short.
Brands can leverage interactive advertising that syncs with TV content to capture viewers’ attention on their second screens. Additionally, utilizing social media platforms to host live discussions or polls related to the TV content can enhance engagement. Finally, offering exclusive content or promotions through mobile apps during specific TV programs can incentivize viewers to stay engaged with both screens.