The effect of second screening on repeat viewing: Insights from large-scale mobile diary data

Sarah Gelper, Mitchell J. Lovett, Renana Peres

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science · 2025 · Volume 53 · Issue 3

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of second screening, the common practice of using another digital device while watching a television show, on repeat show viewing. We leveraged large-scale individual-level data from mobile diaries of 1,702 US TV viewers on 2,755 prime time shows. We used causal forest analysis for estimation, focusing on the moderating role of viewing preferences and show loyalty, and captured heterogeneity in viewer preferences using latent-class segmentation. We found that overall, show-related second screening has a positive effect on theattitude toward the show, as well as onactual repeat viewing.Show-unrelated second screening diminishes the viewer’s attitude. These effects are especially pronounced in the heavy viewer segment and among infrequent show viewers. Interestingly, our analysis did not provide evidence that second screening harms actual repeat viewing, countering potential concerns of negative distraction effects.

Keywords

Causal forest analysis, Latent class segmentation, Media multitasking, Mobile diary, Second screening, Second screen viewing, Social media, Social TV, TV viewing

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