It’s no longer news that TV is becoming part of a multi-screen experience, but it’s helpful to know what kind of activities are being performed while watching TV. According to new survey results from iAcquire and SurveyMonkey, search is a big player: the study indicates that 40% of mobile searches are conducted while users are watching TV. While the study doesn’t delve into whether or not TV prompts those searches, research released last year suggests that TV can be a significant catalyst for mobile search.

via 40% of Mobile Searches Said Conducted While Watching TV.

Heavy usage of one of the top 3 media (by reach) does not necessarily mean that less time is spent with the other media, according to [download page] results from an Edison Research and Arbitron study. The study looks at self-reported average time per day spent with the internet, TV, and radio, sorting the results by heavy users of each. Heavy internet users (4+ hours per day) report spending more than 7 hours per day on the internet – but the amount of time they spend watching TV (3:35 vs. 3:33) and listening to the radio (2:07 vs. 2:04) is on par with the general population.

via Media Consumption is Not Necessarily a Zero-Sum Game.

Go anywhere, do anything smartphones have been a boon to social network users, who are now able to check in with their friends and family from pretty much any location that has Wi-Fi or cellphone service. As a result, social media has seeped into many real-world activities, according to a March 2013 survey of US internet users conducted by financial education website CreditDonkey.

via Social Media and Multitasking Go Hand in Hand – eMarketer.

Since the days of company newsletters sent via snail mail, business-to-business (B2B) marketers have used content marketing as a lead generation and customer relationship technique.

Digital makes content marketing easier—but not easy, according to a new eMarketer report, “B2B Content Marketing: Best Practices for 2013.” eMarketer defines content marketing as using content that is not, at its core, promotional material, but which is interesting or valuable for its own sake. B2B marketers should add one qualifying sentence: It is content geared to help businesspeople do their jobs better.

via For Driving Engagement, B2B Marketers Put a Premium on Content – eMarketer.

The number of American pay TV subscribers cutting the cord to focus solely on Netflix, over the air, online, and other sources is growing faster than expected, according to the latest study from Convergence Consulting Group. Last year, the researchers predicted that 930,000 pay TV subscribers would cut the cord, but this year estimate that 1.08 million went ahead and did so. That represents 1.1% of pay TV subscribers, and means that between 2008 and 2012, 3.74 million 3.7% of US TV subscribers cut their subscriptions.

via TV Cord Cutters Growing Faster Than Expected, Numbered >1 Million Last Year.

When most users think of digital video, they most commonly think of YouTube. And it’s no coincidence, given the dominance of the video platform, that visits to YouTube trump those of any other video platform.

A study by AYTM Market Research examines just how popular YouTube is as a platform—and to what degree users consume YouTube content. The study showed that the vast majority of US internet users (about 60%) visited YouTube at least once a week in March 2013. Out of that percentage, 22% visited YouTube every day, and nearly 30% visited YouTube a few times per week.

via Just How Popular Is YouTube? – eMarketer.

The Middle East and Africa region, when viewed as a whole, still has a relatively low internet penetration rate, expected to reach 17.4% of the population this year, according to eMarketer projections. But Ipsos MediaCT in its February 2013 report, “Ipsos Online Audience Measurement in the Arab World,” identified a number of countries with significant online populations.

via Internet Use in the Middle East, North Africa Still Lags Far Behind – eMarketer.

A new study from RadiumOne reveals that hashtag users are leveraging them primarily to communicate personal ideas and feelings (40.7%) and to search or follow categories and brands of personal interest (34.1%). The survey, which finds that 7 in 10 use hashtags while on a mobile device, shows that hashtags can be a meaningful tool for brands: about 1 in 5 respondents said that hashtags are good for finding brands and products.

via Hashtag Use Driven by Self-Expression, Content Discovery.

people want to seem knowledgeable and learned, so share articles that are of interest to only a small, educated niche. That would explain why sharing rates are lowest for topics such as Men’s Media (1%) and shopping (<1%), and highest for science articles (12%). But clickback rates for science articles are low (at 9%, compared to the average of 24%), and much higher for categories such as celebrity content (at 40%). Needless to say, entertainment and celebrity content isn’t high on the “personal branding” agenda, with sharing rates for those content types at 2.1% and 1.7%, respectively.

via Content Sharing Takes on a Personal Branding Dimension.

Emails that include social sharing buttons have a click-through rate 158% higher than those do not 6.2% vs. 2.4%, according to a new study from GetReponse. That represents an even bigger boost than the 115% jump noted in the researchers’ study last year. While the proportion of users including social sharing buttons increased by more than 60% year-over-year, this practice remains firmly entrenched in the minority, at 29.6% of users.

via Emails That Include Social Sharing Icons Sport Higher CTRs.