TV viewers who use multiple screens are more likely to stay in the room for the ad break

"Multi-screening keeps viewers present for ad breaks
People in the sample were more likely to stay in the room or not change the channel during the ad break if they were multi-screening. Multi-screening viewers stayed in the room for 81% of ad breaks; viewers not multi-screening stayed in the room for 72%.
31% of people in the UK (with access to TV and the internet)** have chatted about TV programmes or ads on a second screen; this rises to 56% for 16-24s
22% chatted via text; 18% via social media; 10% via mobile messenger services.
Multi-screening encourages more TV viewing
On average, when only one person was in the room and was multi-screening, 64% of their TV viewing sessions lasted for longer than 15 minutes. This compares to 47% when watching with no accompanying activity.
When two people were present, as expected, due to increased interaction the figures were lower. 41% of viewing sessions were for longer than 15 minutes when multi-screening compared to 37% when watching with no accompanying activity.
Multi-screening does not affect ad recognition
In a laboratory test where participants were invited to watch TV and/or use a laptop without being made aware they were to be tested on TV ad recognition, there was no significant difference in the level of ad recognition between people when multi-screening or only watching TV.
Multi-screening brings people closer to TV
Participants in the Screen Life research reported that multi-screening – like other new TV technologies, such as digital recorders – makes them feel closer to TV as it enables them to research what they watch, share with online friends and participate.
Multi-screening appears to encourage more shared and family TV viewing
Interviews with households that took part in Screen Life showed that partners and children are more likely to keep a TV viewer company if they can multi-screen – whereas previously they might have not stayed in the room.
Multi-screening is establishing itself in the living room
People have always multi-tasked when watching TV; multi-screening is the latest accompaniment
86% of people in the UK (with access to TV and the internet)** have ever multi-screened
34% of the sample claim to multi-screen regularly"
Source:  Data from Thinkbox and COG Research, reported in a press release, 28th June 2012
Methodology:  "‘Screen Life: The View from the Sofa’ filmed the living rooms of 23 TV households in the UK for a week in order to gather extensive footage of TV viewing. The footage underwent a psycho-physiological analysis with a particular focus on any occasions where both watching TV and the use of a second screen – such as a laptop, smartphone or tablet – coincided. It captured real-time evidence of actual programme and ad break engagement, and enabled the researchers to test the implicit and explicit feelings about brands that had been advertised.
The study included the analysis of interaction around second screen activities such as activity on social network sites and mobile messaging services, as well as mobile eye tracking to provide a detailed account of how people attend when two screening. Homes will also self-report during the study process using COG’s award-winning digital ethnography technique (which won the New Consumer Insight award at the MRS in December 2011)."

Asterisks:  

* New Consumer Insight Award, MRS, December 2011

** As only individuals with TV and internet access were surveyed, this is not a nationally representative sample