Second-Screen Behavior and TV Ads

88% of Americans use a second screen during TV. 65% look up advertisers while streaming, in real-time. Your CTV ad competes with their phone.

The television isn’t the only screen in the room anymore. Understanding what happens on the second screen, the phone in your potential client’s hand, is essential for CTV success.

The Dual-Screen Default

SECOND-SCREEN IS THE NORM
86% of internet users use another device while watching TV Source: GWI
88% of Americans engage with a second screen during TV viewing Source: GWI

This changes everything about how TV advertising works. Your ad isn’t competing just for attention on the big screen. It’s competing with whatever’s happening on the small screen simultaneously.

What Viewers Do During Ads

Option A

Option B

Passive Distraction

Scrolling social media, checking email, texting. Not related to what’s on TV. These viewers aren’t engaged with your ad at all.

Active Engagement

Responding to TV content by searching, browsing, or taking action on the second device. This is your target audience.

For advertisers, the goal is converting passive viewers into active engagers.

The Search Response

When your ad resonates, viewers don’t reach for a pen. They reach for their phone.

THE SEARCH BEHAVIOR
75% of U.S. consumers search online after seeing TV ads Source: MNTN Research
65% of viewers explore products they see in TV ads Source: Arena
62% of consumers discover new brands through TV advertising Source: MNTN Research

65% of second-screen users look up information and go to an advertiser’s website while streaming. This happens in real-time. Not later, not tomorrow, but within seconds of seeing your ad.

The Speed Factor

Second-screen response happens fast. Someone sees your ad, picks up their phone, and searches within 30-60 seconds. This compressed timeline has implications:

1

Search Presence Must Be Immediate

By the time they search, your paid ads need to be showing. Organic ranking alone isn’t fast enough to capture impulse searches.

2

Message Consistency Matters

What they see in search results should match what they just saw on TV. Different messaging creates confusion and reduces conversion.

3

Mobile Optimization Is Essential

100% of second-screen searches happen on mobile. If your landing page isn’t mobile-optimized, you lose them.

Why Phone Numbers Don’t Work

Traditional TV advertising relied on memorable phone numbers: 800-HURT-NOW, 444-4444, etc. Second-screen behavior has largely obsoleted this approach:

Option A

Option B

The Old Way: Phone Numbers

Remember 10 digits. Dial the number. Wait for an answer. Hope you’re calling the right firm. Few people do this anymore.

The New Way: Search

Type firm name. See website, reviews, options. Make informed decision. This is how people actually behave.

Phone numbers aren’t useless. They should still appear prominently. But expecting viewers to call directly from a TV ad is increasingly unrealistic.

Implications for CTV Campaigns

Understanding second-screen behavior changes how you approach CTV advertising:

Creative Strategy

  • + Include your firm name prominently (it's what they'll search)
  • + Keep messaging simple and memorable
  • + Don't rely on phone number recall alone

Media Strategy

  • − Coordinate CTV flights with search campaigns
  • − Increase search bids during active CTV periods
  • − Protect branded search terms from competitors

Landing Page Strategy

  • + Ensure mobile-first design
  • + Match ad messaging on landing pages
  • + Optimize for immediate contact options

Measurement Strategy

  • − Monitor branded search volume for CTV correlation
  • − Watch for direct traffic spikes during ad flights
  • − Use CTV platform attribution to match exposure to visits

Measuring Second-Screen Response

How do you know if your CTV is driving second-screen behavior?

CORRELATION PROOF
0.81 branded search lift correlation with CTV exposure Source: MNTN Research
40% more likely to visit your website after CTV exposure Source: JamLoop

This 0.81 correlation is about as strong as marketing gets. TV exposure doesn’t just correlate with branded search. It causes it. The question is whether you capture those searches or competitors do.

The Capture Imperative

Generating second-screen searches means nothing if you don’t capture them. Viewers exposed to CTV campaigns are 40% more likely to visit an advertiser’s website within two weeks. But only if they can find you.

This is why branded search protection isn’t optional for CTV advertisers. See Stop Competitors Bidding on Your Firm Name for tactical guidance.

References