Horowitz Associates: Social networks are the new place for TV show discussions

Social is fundamentally changing the way people watch and talk about their favorite TV shows every day. People are increasingly getting recommendations for video content and sharing their opinions on show content through social networks.

Research has found that conversations on social networks often influence users' choice of programs to watch. According to a Horowitz Associates survey in January 2012, 19% of respondents said they watched a TV show because of comments on social networks. Viewers also get information about program content through the Internet. 23% of users said they visit websites or use apps to get more information about programs. 39% use the Internet to search for information related to the content they see on TV.

In addition to social networks, the way users watch TV content is also becoming more diverse. More than one-third of respondents watch TV programs on their devices or other platforms at least once a month; streaming media is the most popular content that users watch on TV. It is higher than the use of PCs. Relatively low respondents said they use handheld devices such as iPads, iPods or smartphones to watch video content.

The study also found that TV's leading position in the living room remains unshakable. Respondents watch TV programs on TV for an average of 123.7 hours per month, while they only watch online streaming content on traditional TVs for 4.4 hours. However, these users aged 18-34 watch streaming content on TV for twice as long as the overall audience, reflecting the distribution of young users' habits.