How People Multitask While Watching TV

Abstract

We often think of TV watching as the activity where people are fully engaged and immersed in the TV program. However, research has shown that there is a continuum of levels of attention while watching TV. We set out to understand multitasking behaviors as well as users' motivation and intention behind simultaneous tasks performed in front of the television. We conducted an in-home qualitative research methods study inside ten households across the San Francisco Bay Area and used a quantitative method for analysis of the large amount of behavioral data we gathered. We recorded participants' television watching behaviors using cameras that were placed in their homes and used retrospective interviews to gather purpose behind events that were observed in the video recordings. We defined eye gaze elsewhere than on the TV as accounting for a multitasking event. It was found that multitasking occurred almost 40% of the time when people were seated in front of the television. Most multitasking occurred during TV programs -- not during the interval between TV programs. Of the time people spent multitasking, 36% was spent on a device, mostly a smartphone. However, only 10% of device-related multitasking was related to the content being played on the TV. With our study, we contribute to the greater body of foundational knowledge around common multitasking behaviors that are conducted in front of the television.