Social Media and Television complimentary, not competitive

A recent poll completed by 4,000 UK residents has revealed that 54% simultaneously watch television whilst browsing social networking sites.

Internet shopping is the nation's second favourite past time whilst watching television (45%), closely followed by instant messaging and catching up on e-mails (40%).

The results - conducted by think tank Deloitte - also show that the average Briton spends 188 hours a month (almost 8 days) watching television, compared to just 3.3 hours on social networks. In the report, Deloitte write "television should embrace, rather than fear, social networks".

James Bates, Deloitte media partner, said: “Some television executives worry about competition for eyeballs, yet for others the concern is whether their programmes are generating sufficient social buzz. In reality, social networks complement the television viewing experience rather than compete with it. A significant amount of social network activity occurs concurrently with television consumption and television programmes provide important topics of conversation for social networks.”

Founding partner of creative company 101, Laurence Green, told the Telegraph: “Sharper alignment of a brand's TV laydown with its website – for example, by a clothes retailer making sure an advertised item is only one click away in real time – might therefore be a better allocation of limited resource than trying to win friends on Facebook.”

Creator of hit television shows Father Ted, and The IT Crowd, Graham Linehan, has recently commented on the positive relationship between Twitter and television, saying the micro-blogging site has "put television back in the crowd".