Women email, visit social networks while watching TV

Men look up information about the TV show they are watching

Earlier this month, we learned that 88% of U.S. smartphone owners use their device while watching television, and 86% of U.S. tablet owners do the same.

Now we know a little bit about what they"re doing. It appears women are much more social and chatty than men when watching television.

That's one of the new findings from a Nielsen report released Friday, which broke down the demographics of who used their phones the most by age and gender, and what they were most likely to be looking at.   

Nearly half, or 45%, watch television and use their tablet simultaneously on a daily basis. 69% do this several times a week, and a mere 12% of tablet owners never watch TV while on their device.

By far the most popular activity performed on a tablet while also watching TV was checking e-mail, as 61% of tablet owners aged 13 or over do this. Over 50% of every age bracket, and both genders do this, with older people, those 34-54 and 55 or older, actually more likely to do this than those 13-17.

Second to that was visiting a social networking site, with 47% of tablet owners doing it. This activity becomes less popular as the age increases, with 62% of those 13-17 doing this, while only 33% of those 55 and older do it. Women are also more likely to visit a social networking site than men, with 50% of women and 44% of men.

Men, on the other hand, were more likely to check sports scores, and look up information about the show they arw watching.

The least popular activity, with only 22%, is looking up coupons or deals based on an ad seen on television. The most likely age group to perform this task were those 18-34, 29% of whom do this, with women doing this 24% of the time, compared to men 21%.

In another part of the study, it was determined that women were 12% more likely than the average U.S. adult to buy something online that they had seen advertised on television. Men were 14% less likely, while those 25-54 were 29% more likely to perform this task. Women were also more likely to have one or more social networking profiles, and to build or update a personal blog.

With most people on their tablets already, how long can it be before the entire television watching experience moves to the mobile device?

A recent report done by Viacom found that 15% of full length television watching is now being done on tablets. That study, which surveyed 2,500 people aged 8-54, found that secondary apps, like Netflix, Airplay and Whispersync, heavily contributed to the feeling of making watching television a more social experience.

Half of those surveyed by Viacom said that their tablet made them feel “feel happier and more relaxed”, and 49% say they managed their lives better with a tablet. 40% said that their tablet ‘brings out the best in me’ and 39% said it boosted their creativity.

(Image source: cnn.com)