Half of consumers watch two screens at once

Many television watchers use another electronic device at the same time

Nearly half of consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany tend to use another electronic device while watching TV at home, according to research by Futuresource Consulting.

The poll, Living with Digital, quizzed 2,600 consumers aged 12 to 65 and above to find out how they have used digital entertainment devices over the past six months.

According to Futuresource, many watch TV at the same time as using laptops or mobile devices to keep in touch with friends, or watch videos online. Many said they did so because they were bored, but 10 per cent said they did it because it complemented the TV viewing.

"The study also shows that 57 per cent of people are watching online video content, with nearly one in four using their smartphones at least occasionally. Watching online video on a desktop PC is still the most common method, very closely followed by laptops," the market watcher said in a statement.

In all four countries surveyed, online video viewing had increased over the past six months. Eighty per cent indicated they did not pay for online video content, although nearly 40 per cent suggested they might do so in the future.

"Among respondents who have paid for online content already, more than two in every three have paid for movies," Futuresource claimed.

People living in the UK bought the most DVDs, an average of nearly 6.5 during the past six months. US viewers preferred Blu-ray.