How the Second Screen Phenomenon is Influencing the Movie Industry

‘Second Screen’ is often a term used for the mobile phone. As a personalized screen it is hand-held and convenient and is also a two-way communication medium.

The mobile phone will become the FIRST and the ONLY screen, whether in the field of content creation, engagement or consumption mechanism but for now, and especially in the movies which are digital (and in that Mobile is a relatively new medium) one has to satisfy oneself with the mobile being a Second Screen at best.

This is this first time in the History of India that 65% of the voter base is the youth of the country and on top of that we have Digitisation and 4G as part of our lives.

With more phones per household rather than TV, we are poised for a Digital Revolution especially when it comes to the selection and watching of content. We may become aware of an upcoming film via a Print Ad but we comment on the same on Twitter; while we may watch the promotional videos on TV first, we give our real judgement in the privacy of our phone screen on Youtube; we may pan the critics in real life but it is now very common to see a film based on reviews on blogs etc. as movie watching is also an expensive family outing and requires due diligence and the second screen, powered by FB and TW plays, the watchdog.

Today, we go, vote for and rate a film and its stars who appear on shows and reality TV for the promotion of their upcoming release while the show is on and the real time two-way engagement creates the opportunity for interaction, winning contests, winning the merchandise of a film before its release.

Digital enables a virtual relationship with content before its release and a mobile screen then enables a longer relationship post release on movie streaming platforms or even torrent sites.

The idea is to keep the conversation and engagement going and that has moved away a lot from city visits and mall trails. The fan is just a screen away and the most crucial screen is mostly in his/her hands and he/she is the judge and the persecutor, he/she is also the discerning audience who chooses to be or not to be part of the marketing blitz one creates for the various small and big films in this country of avid movie lovers. Respect the Second, rather the soon-to-be First, screen of the Movie Going Experience-Mobile and it will serve you well.

Buzzer haath mein hai, hoarding mein nahin!