18 months ago watching TV and simultaneously interacting with a tablet or smartphone was just emerging as a consumer behavior. Now, it’s a national pastime. 8 out of 10 Americans participate in what has been officially named Media Multi-Tasking or The Second Screen.

The most popular combination is watching TV and doing email on another device. Second most common is TV viewing and interacting in a digital channel about the show in progress (aka Social TV.) 62% of consumers participate in Social TV at least weekly, making it as prevalent as talking to someone in the same room during a program.

In June 2012, there were 81 million real-time conversations in top social networks about TV shows. That’s eight times more discussions than there were 12 months previously. The most talked about programs are sports and award shows.

What’s driving this trend? Consumers enjoy being connected to people while watching TV. They like to share their views and hear others’. And, they are interested in getting more information about what they see---whether it’s a show or a commercial.

Cutting edge brands have jumped into social TV. Sun Drop Soda, Doritos, Pepsi and M&M’s are dramatically extending their reach by making it easy for consumers to talk about their commercials in social channels.

• How can we best leverage social TV with our brand?
• Should we be doing a small scale test?