Boston, MA - October 24, 2011 - TV viewers who use a gadget to surf the web or chat on Facebook while watching TV are migrating away from the laptop and toward the tablet as the preferred personal device, according to new research published by the Strategy Analytics Digital Home Observatory. The report, “Multi-Screen User Behaviors in the Home,” also found that, for those who own a laptop or a tablet, smartphone use while watching TV is limited to “alert” functions, like text or voice messages, rather than as a TV companion.

“The tablet is clearly becoming the primary TV companion device for advanced users,” says Caroline Park, Senior Analyst and the report’s author. “Designers wishing to engage consumers while in the home/TV-watching environment should, therefore, focus on the tablet as the device with the greatest opportunity to provide a relevant, enhanced TV experience.”

Study participants who own a tablet indicated that this device has now nearly completely replaced the laptop PC as a TV companion device. They only use a laptop for certain tasks, particularly those involving typing. Comfort and convenience were cited as the major drivers of tablet usage, including device weight, heat generation and fast boot times.

Editor’s Note: This ethnographic study presents the findings of twelve in-home observations of individuals who actively engage with multiple personal devices within the home setting while watching TV. The observations and semi-structured interviews were carried out with consumers in the USA and UK in August 2011.