Multiscreening and Social TV: The Changing Landscape of TV Consumption in Italy

The explosive growth of handheld screen devices has fostered the emergence of new TV consumption practices: "always connected while watching TV" is the expression that best summarizes this transformation. On the one hand, we observe multiscreening practices engendered by the availability of second screen devices, which people use both simultaneously and sequentially while watching. On the other hand, these handheld devices are strengthening the social dimension of the TV-watching experience (Social TV).

This paper aims to analyze the diffusion of social and connected television in the Italian market, relying on data from the “Osservatorio Social TV 2013-2014” (Sapienza University, Rome).