Multitasking during primetime gives advertisers added marketing opportunities.

Advertisers looking to reach television audiences simultaneously on multiple platforms are starting to get their chance, according to a new study released by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI).

The study on multitasking during primetime television showed that during weeknight television viewing (Sunday-Thursday), viewers spent an average of 9.3 percent of primetime viewing minutes also online. The breakdown between cable and broadcast television was 8.2 percent and 11.0 percent, respectively. The time spent watching broadcast television while surfing the Web more than doubles as the week progresses, going from a low of 5.8 percent of primetime media minutes on Monday to a high of 15.9 percent on Thursday. The data also showed that women engage in the most simultaneous viewing.

“This trend of going online while watching primetime television represents a significant opportunity for advertisers who want to target viewers with a message to visit content online,” said Matt Reid, director of strategic initiatives for Integrated Media Measurement Inc. “The landscape is moving at a steady pace from multiplatform advertising to simultaneous multiplatform advertising.”

The study was implemented through a special research panel built by IMMI to capture Internet as well as television and radio consumption. IMMI provides panel members with a mobile phone, asking them to carry it with them wherever they go. The mobile phone is equipped with a technology that creates digital signatures of all the audio media (television, radio and movies) to which it has been exposed. IMMI can determine viewing audiences, as well as certain types of consumer behavior based on a timeline of when the media was viewed or heard.

For more information at http://www.immi.com