36% of Social Network Users Want to Access Social Media on Their TVs

Consumers’ rapidly growing interest in social networking has resulted in many looking beyond the computer and mobile screens to the living room, according to a new study by ABI Research.  A recent survey of over 1000 households conducted by the firm shows that today’s consumers are looking to extend their social networks to the TV, as 36% of those who currently use social media on a regular basis say they’d like to access their networks on the TV screen.

“Just as video entertainment is moving fluidly across various screens, so is social media,” says senior analyst Jason Blackwell. “We’ve seen that consumers find increased value through shared entertainment experiences and want to explore and deepen these experiences through communities of interest; and that’s what social TV will ultimately do.”

When asked which types of application they would be most interested in for social TV, the answers were somewhat dependent on age. Younger consumers were more interested in engaging with their friends through chat and messaging, while middle-aged respondents were more likely to be interested in more passive social networking behavior such as checking status updates. The most popular potential application for those over 50 who expressed interest in TV social networking was being able to see what their friends were watching on TV.

“Today we already see tens of millions of consumers engaging in communities in the living room through online console gaming services,” adds Blackwell. “Just as this interest community has seen rapid growth in the past few years, we expect the extension of Web 2.0 technologies to the living room to propel growth in new communities of interest.”

“Social Network TV” examines consumers’ interest in accessing social networking services on their TV screen. The report is based on a survey of more than 1000 consumers in the United States, conducted by ABI Research in October 2008. It forms part of the firm’s Home Networking Research Service.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of emerging trends in global connectivity. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advise thousands of decision makers through research and advisory services in seven key practice areas. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.