A newly released Colmar Brunton survey on marketing in a multiscreen world sheds light on who is using what type of screens, how and for what purposes, as well as lifting the lid on multiscreen trends such as meshing and stacking.

Colmar Brunton Group Account Director Beth Rundle says the research, conducted among 16-45 year old multiscreen users, provides some fascinating insights about what Kiwis are doing on their various screens and how their multiscreen habits compare with international counterparts.

"A typical multiscreen user in New Zealand consumes just under seven hours of screen time daily, which is a little below the global average but ahead of Australia," Ms Rundle says.

TV screens dominate in the early evening, but over a full day laptops (29% of screen time), TV (28%) and smartphone (27%) get a fairly even share of Kiwis' daily attention, ahead of tablets (17%). Tablets here are well ahead of international levels where they account for just 9% of daily screen time in Australia and 12% globally.

Ms Rundle says there are also some interesting gender differences. New Zealand women typically spend more time on smartphones while men clock up more hours on laptops.

TV continues to play a pivotal role in the mix, with this survey confirming a separate

Colmar Brunton NZ on Air survey earlier this year showing that TV and radio still deliver the biggest audiences in New Zealand. It also found that combining extra content online with traditional TV extends engagement with TV shows.

"This is reflected in the new multiscreen survey which tells us that, while 61% of Kiwis' screen time is spent shifting - that is moving from one screen to another for different tasks across the day- 39% of multiscreen users' daily screen time is spent in front of the TV while using another screen simultaneously."

There is also a substantial gender difference when it comes to meshing - where TV and digital screens are used to consume related content - and stacking - where the content and media tasks are unrelated to what's on TV.

Men are more than twice as likely to be looking for extra information about what they are watching on TV, while women are more likely to be using unrelated social media.

All up Kiwis spend 25% of their daily screen time stacking and 14% meshing.

"Social media stacking is the multiscreen equivalent of putting the kettle on," Ms Rundle says.

"Meshing is about viewers gaining more information or satisfying their curiosity about what's happening on TV, or wanting to feel more connected with other like-minded fans on social media."

TVNZ's General Manager of Data and Insights, Jonathan Symons, says the survey's findings reflect the evolving role of television.

"It backs up our experience that viewers are keen to extend engagement with TV shows and advertising when extra online content is offered alongside traditional TV."

"MS Rundle says there is definitely a 'sweet spot' for each screen device. Smartphones are commonly used to access 'bite-sized' content, voting and sharing social media opinions, laptops are preferred for more detailed searching and online shopping, while tablets are favoured for extending the video experience.

The results come from a survey of 551 New Zealand multiscreen users aged 16-45 years with a margin of error of + or - 4%.

ENDS