Tablet use spikes while watching television

A global study conducted by Nielsen during the fourth quarter of 2011 reveals that many tablet computer users tend to be on their devices at the same time they are watching television.

The research firm's poll of connected device owners in the United States, the UK, Germany and Italy finds that many respondents use their tablets and watch television simultaneously at least several times a week.

Eighty-eight percent of US respondents say they have had both their tablets and the television on at once. About a quarter of Americans say they do so at least several times a day, while 24 percent use both at the same time at least several times a week.

Nielsen researchers found that tablet use while watching television is most commonly centered on checking email during commercial breaks or during a show. Many respondents also say they view content that is related to what they are watching.

Tablet users in general are very open to watching video on their devices, a separate report from enterprise video services provider Invodo finds. Sixty-one percent of respondents to the company's poll acknowledge they have watched a product video on their devices within the past three months.