Do We Really Need a Second Screen to Buy Something While Watching TV?

For years, shopping while watching TV has depended on a second screen, where a viewer notices a product during a match or show, reaches for a phone, searches for it, and only then considers a purchase. This behavior is familiar and widely accepted, yet it introduces a problem, because the moment attention moves away from the main screen, the connection with the content weakens, and the likelihood of acting often drops.

As more viewing shifts to connected TV, that habit deserves closer scrutiny. This article discusses not only whether viewers can make purchases after seeing something on screen, but also whether they need to leave the viewing experience at all to do so. The text was imagined, reviewed, and refined by a team of experts, with assistance from AI.

How the journey works today

Connected TV has made it easier to access live sports, highlights, and on-demand content within a single environment, but the path from noticing a product to acting on it has not evolved at the same pace.

In practice, the journey often unfolds across devices, where interest begins on the television while exploration and any eventual purchase move to another screen. This split creates a longer and less certain path from attention to action, because each step depends on the viewer maintaining intent after shifting focus.

That pattern leads to a few consistent challenges:

• Attention is divided between devices, which interrupts the viewing experience
• The path to action becomes longer, increasing the chances that interest fades
• It becomes harder to connect what was seen on screen with what happened later

Early forms of interaction have started to appear within TV environments, suggesting a more direct route, although these experiences are not yet consistent and often rely on simple prompts that still lead viewers away from the content.

How far connected TV has come

Connected TV is moving toward more interactive capabilities, but it remains in a transitional stage, where the underlying technology exists while the experience is still shaped by practical constraints that affect how interaction can work on the main screen.

Several factors define this reality:

• Differences across platforms mean that interaction behaves differently depending on the device or service
• Input methods, such as remote controls, limit how quickly and easily viewers can navigate
• Content expectations remain strong, with viewers prioritizing the match or program over any added layer

Because of these constraints, the second screen still plays a role as a fallback, offering flexibility while also reinforcing the separation between attention and action rather than closing it.

A more direct path within the same experience

A more effective approach does not try to replace viewing with interaction, but instead brings the two closer together by allowing viewers to engage without shifting devices or breaking their attention.

Shoppable formats contribute to this shift by introducing optional interaction that sits alongside the viewing experience rather than competing with it, with the goal not being to turn the screen into a storefront, but to reduce the effort required when a viewer decides to act.

A practical model includes:

1. Interaction that stays on the main screen
   Viewers can respond without moving to another device
2. Simple navigation
   Actions are easy to take using familiar controls
3. Optional engagement
   The content remains the priority, with interaction available when relevant

In practice, this creates a more continuous flow in which a viewer notices something of interest, chooses whether to engage, and can take the next step without leaving the experience, while the content remains central and any action happens in context rather than elsewhere.

The role of BRNDTS

BRNDTS currently supports this transition on web-based video content by helping brands connect moments of attention with opportunities to act without requiring viewers to leave the viewing environment, enabling interaction to begin within the same experience rather than relying on a separate device for every next step.

We expect to extend these capabilities into connected TV within 2026, which would offer viewers the option to engage without interrupting the experience and create clearer pathways from attention to measurable outcomes.

This approach does not assume a fully self-contained purchase flow on the main screen, but instead focuses on reducing friction and keeping the connection between content and action as direct as possible. For example, enabling a single-button add-to-cart action and easy checkout processes with saved payment methods can be significant steps towards increasing action on interest.

Rethinking the role of the second screen

The second screen has been a practical bridge between viewing and action, but it is not the only way forward, as connected TV continues to evolve and makes it increasingly possible to keep interaction closer to the content itself.

The goal is not to remove choice, but to reduce unnecessary steps, so that when viewers can respond without leaving what they are watching, the experience becomes more cohesive and better aligned with how people naturally engage with content.

In that context, the question shifts from whether a second screen is useful to whether it should be required, with the answer increasingly pointing toward a model where it is not.