Interactive TV and group viewing : A qualitative study of companion apps and viewer engagement during group TV viewing

Abstract: Smart device applications that allow users to interact with a TV show in some way, so called companion apps, are increasingly common. In this paper, we study how the usage of such apps affect viewer engagement when used in groups of three or more people, a common TV viewing scenario. To study these effects, an experiment was conducted, where two participant groups watched multiple clips from a show of their choice, with varying devices running companion apps present. Qualitative analysis of data gathered during these viewings (video recordings, survey responses, and group interviews) show that the usage of companion apps increases viewer engagement in these scenarios by encouraging users to either work together or compete against each other, and that this effect seems to be more prominent among younger viewers.