Televised Sporting Events: Applications of Second Screens

Theorical Approach

At present, the abundance of information generated by the new forms of digital communication has modified the behavior of users who are now encouraged to select their own sources (Vivar & García, 2009) from among a broader range of services. Similarly, with the advent of different screens – smartphones, laptops, tablets, video game consoles and smart televisions – the consumption of audiovisual content has become increasingly more varied. This new communication environment is characterized preferentially by individual use (Fernández Peña, 2016). For Castells (2009), “mass self-communication” is the result of the interactive capacity of the new system, which multiplies and diversifies the communication process. On the other hand, following Dimmick (2003), the so-called “niche theory” suggests that a new medium competes with its older counterparts to satisfy the needs of users by offering them the opportunity to access content other than that which is available at a given moment. So, according to niche theory, the introduction of a new medium may or may not lead to competition with its older counterparts. In this chapter, the new medium is the second screen device and the older one, television. Rather than a competition between both media, second screen media consumption has emerged as a way of reinforcing the attention of users (Cunningham & Eastin, 2017).