The Nielsen Company has some survey data confirming what we can see around us: Many TV viewers are using a computing device of some kind while they watch. Last October, Nielsen said 40 percent of smartphone and tablet owners in the United States self-reported that they used their devices daily while watching TV.

The Nielsen survey respondents also noted the various things they’re doing with that second screen. At the top of the list were checking e-mail, during programs and commercials, along with Web surfing unrelated to the TV program. Looking up information related to the program at hand finished far behind.

Read more at the NY TIMES

As any reality television aficionado will understand, I feel a deep and meaningful connection to crazy attention whores whom I will never actually meet. My latest obsession is Drita D’Avanzo of VH1′s Mob Wives fame. Maybe it’s her Staten Island accent, her acrylic nails pointed at close range in other wives’ faces, or her tumultuous relationship with behind-bars hubby and former drug dealer Lee D’Avanzo – whatever the reason, Drita has a certain je ne sais quoi that keeps me hooked to the VH1 hit.

In today’s world, where TV can be as addicting as heroin or diet cola, most Americans don’t just watch TV. We live it. We text, tweet and Google search bios of celebs and characters as they appear on the screen. It was only a matter of time before TV networks hired competent media gurus who make it easier to get our fix, and this shall forever be known as “co-viewing.”

Enter VH1 Co-Star. The entertainment app is designed for both addicts and casual viewers to use while watching VH1 shows. The scrolling activity stream “WatchWith” allows VH1 programmers to insert contextual bonus content like photos, factoids and polls that coincide with everything happening on the show. Features also include trivia, blogs and bonus videos, as well as tweets and Facebook postings from the show’s followers. I’m as addicted to trivia as I am to Drita’s name-calling antics, so VH1 gets extra points for stimulating my mind and finger tips. All I need to do is sit back, relax, and move my eyes rapidly between the show on TV and the scrolling comments on my iPhone.

Users can authenticate themselves through Facebook or Twitter, but I was able to follow much of the content without that process. My iPhone’s GPS determines the time zone, so the network’s schedule syncs with my location. When Mob Wives is playing on the east coast, there is Drita’s tight and tanned face on the app’s home screen.

Co-Star lives up to expectations – it is an entertainment app and totally worth the free price tag. My only question now is: How will the app work when I start watching new episodes of Pop Up Video?

The Super Bowl is the most watched television event in history and within the hot second screen space, there will be plenty of competition for eyeballs in companion apps this year.

Twitter could be the go to app for the Super Bowl. Twitter reported on its blog last year that the Super Bowl had the highest TPS (tweets per second) for any sporting event. With healthy growth over the last year, in part from integration with Apple’s iOS 5, it is a safe bet that this record will be topped. This year, it seems the NFL is finally embracing social media. The NFL has announced that it will be allowing players to tweet from computer stations on the sidelines during the annual Pro Bowl game. While players won’t be allowed to tweet during the Super Bowl, Mashable reports that the Super Bowl Host Committee in Indianapolis will be opening a massive “social media command center” staffed by a team who will monitor fan conversation on Twitter and Facebook and assist them with 140 character tips and advice.

National brands are getting into the second screen game around the Super Bowl. We have seen other brands create live engagement apps for sports before. For example, Heineken’s StarPlayer app, allows players to forecast the outcome of key moments during a sporting event to win status. Chevrolet’s Game Time app for the Super Bowl differentiates itself with physical prizes including 20 automobiles. The app has a layout similar to MTV’s WatchWith app powered by Rogue Paper’s TV Tune-In platform and features live trivia and polls about the game in a little news boxes, as well as a ticker stream at the bottom with twitter comments. One of the boxes includes your personal “license” plate number, which you can try and match with the license plate in the Chevy Super Bowl spot to win a car.

This is one of the best-funded TV to second screens pushes we have seen to date with estimated cost of upwards of $500k in prizes for the promotion. They even have Tim Allen in the spots to announce to viewers to play along on their mobile devices. “Play along with the Super Bowl as we put in the game in your hands.” With a 30 second spot going for $3.5m, each 10 second mention of the Game Time mobile app is going to cost Chevrolet $350k.
Meanwhile, the NFL has experimented with fantasy football and social media hybrid with its Fantasy Playoff Challenge launched several weeks ago. The prizes aren’t as grand as Chevy’s contest but players could win a trip to next years Super Bowl hosted in my hometown, New Orleans.

Next, NFL’s official Superbowl XLVI mobile app is sure to impress. The huddle tab in the app provides social media buzz from players (presumably before the game and not during for reasons stated before), fans, and NFL insiders. If you are at the stadium, the app also provides slick, 3d rendering of the Indianapolis and the Lucus Oil Stadium powered by UpNext’s 3d mapping platform. If you are watching from home and happen to have a Verizon wireless mobile device, the Super Bowl will be streamed live for the first time through Verizon’s NFL mobile app so fans don’t miss a second of the action. The game can also be streamed live from NBCSports.com and NFL.com through a web browser. The webcasts will use the same Sunday Night Football platform, which includes “HD broadcast, DVR-style controls, additional camera angles, in-game highlights, live statistics and interactive elements.”

Finally, some TV-related startups are throwing their hats into the ring with Super Bowl second screen content. Shazam announced that up to a third of ads for the Super Bowl with be “shazam-able”. The Super Bowl XLVI page on GetGlue, the entertainment check-in service, already has over 5,000 check-ins more than a week before the game. Look out for some limited time Super Bowl XLVI stickers on GetGlue provided by NBC Sports. While limited time stickers aren’t quite as nice as a new car, they are still a fun way to enjoy the game.

Whether you are watching the game at home, at sport bar, or at the stadium, look out for a changing Super Bowl viewing experience with your mobile device by your side.

Download it here!