Conversation is King

Social TV is big news, getting bigger as you are watching, reading and tweeting

If the UK is a barometer of the anything, by the time the X-Factor hits the US (irrespective of who is judging it) half the viewers will be 'chatting' about the performances, good and bad, via a second screen, such as a laptop or mobile.

However, before we start thinking about split screens on your 42" LED we need to understand behaviour. Engaging in social networks is still a personal thing, never shared....particularly not with your parents!

Here at WPP, Kantar Media's futurePROOF study found that awareness of IPTV had still not reached mainstream levels, with less than half the population understanding the connected TV proposition.

So what does that actually mean? It feels like the incarnations of social TV we are discussing now might be big on technology and thinking (now you can 'checkin to your favourite TV programme) but may be a little over engineered?

How about creating a seamless experience around that so-called 'virtual sofa' where the two screens co-exist but creating mobile-based app content that enables discussion 'likes', 'slates', comments, broadcasts or communities to re-live, act out or share experiences?