Parks Associates: Over One-Third of Smartphone and Tablet Users Use Mobile Devices as TV Guides

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - Mar 12, 2013) -  Parks Associates, host of CONNECTIONS™ at CTIA 2013, announced new mobile and app research today showing consumers are increasingly using mobile devices and second-screen apps as alternatives to traditional remote controllers and interactive program guides (IPGs). The research firm found 36% of smartphone owners and 35% of tablet owners search for product/service information on the device while watching TV. Over one-third regularly use apps to search for show-related information or check listings while in front of the TV.

"With second-screen offerings for TV shows like Breaking Bad and Glee, companies are catching up to current habits of viewers, who are already interacting with their mobile devices while watching TV," said Heather Way, senior research analyst, Parks Associates. "Almost 20% of millennials (ages 18-30) access pay-TV programs via their service provider on their smartphone. For many of these viewers, mobile is not the 'second-screen' but just as important, or more so, than the TV screen."

Parks Associates will host CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference May 20-23 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Way will lead an interactive discussion with top executives from DirecTV, mPortal, GetGlue, and ConnecTV in the session "Second-screen Evolution: New Experiences and Usage." The session addresses steps to improve the consumer experience, including the challenges in deploying and improving second-screen services.

"CONNECTIONS™, hosted by Parks Associates and co-located with CTIA 2013, offers attendees and exhibitors an opportunity to experience executive insight and network with the experts and innovators who know how wireless technology and mobile platforms will seamlessly integrate with our homes," said Rob Mesirow, Vice President, Operations, CTIA. "Parks Associates has done an outstanding job gathering the right people together to talk about the implications of second-screen services, mobile video, and how businesses and consumers may benefit from future innovations in connected homes."

Session Speakers:
Sean Besser, EVP, Business Development, Partnerships & Strategy, GetGlue
Stacy Jolna, CMO, ConnecTV
David Schlacht, Sr. Director for Multimedia, DirecTV
DP Venkatesh, CEO, mPortal

About CONNECTIONS™ at CTIA
The 17th annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference will be co-located with CTIA 2013 on May 20-23, 2013 at the Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. For information, contact sales@parksassociates.com, call 972-490-1113, or visit www.connectionsconference.com.