Your phone has officially joined your TV as a co-star—and advertisers are racing to take advantage of it.
In the age of endless scrolling, people rarely give their full attention to what's on-screen. Nearly 70% of U.S. social media users browse or message while watching something else, according to a 2025 YouGov report. Unsurprisingly, millennials lead this multitasking trend, with Gen Z right behind them. But here's where it gets controversial—what looks like a marketing nightmare might actually turn out to be a goldmine for savvy advertisers.
For Tubi, the free streaming platform known for attracting younger audiences, this divided attention isn’t a problem—it’s potential. Chief Marketing Officer Nicole Parlapiano sees the rise of “second-screen” behavior as an add-on, not a distraction. Her team believes it’s changing how people experience ads, not destroying engagement. And this is the part most people miss: when users scroll through their phones mid-show, they’re not tuning out—they’re opening up a second lane for interaction.
One example? Shoppable ads. These interactive ad spots come with QR codes or direct prompts that let viewers aim their phones at the screen and instantly learn more—or even make a purchase. It’s a merging of TV storytelling and real-time commerce. Competitors like Disney+ and Hulu have experimented with similar formats, but Tubi aims to make these experiences central to how brands connect with multitasking viewers.
“When someone’s watching, they can immediately engage, shop, and interact,” Parlapiano explained. Instead of waiting for a viewer to remember an ad later, Tubi’s goal is to strike while the smartphone’s screen is hot.
That bet is backed by data. In an October study from EMARKETER, about 42% of marketers said they already use interactive ads on connected TV or social media. Ads featuring game-like elements or QR codes were 36% more likely to be remembered without prompting. According to research from BrightLine, such ads also strengthen brand connection, making viewers feel emotionally closer to the brand.
Think of it this way: shoppable ads transform distraction into participation. Rather than fighting multitasking behavior, Tubi and others are learning to work with it.
And Tubi isn’t alone in that mindset. Ian Sharpe, COO of media at travel tech company NextTrip, believes this double-screen habit might be modern marketing’s best opportunity yet. “Advertisers shouldn’t view Gen Z’s second-screening as a threat,” he said. “This group naturally blends viewing and shopping. The ad experience itself becomes shoppable.” In other words, scrolling during a show isn’t checking out—it’s checking out with your cart.
The logic is simple: viewers today can move from watching to buying in seconds. Instead of hoping someone recalls an ad hours later, brands can prompt instant interaction through tools like QR codes, social extensions, and clickable commerce links.
Alicia Weaver, VP of media activation at Mediassociates, adds that second-screen use isn’t just a Gen Z phenomenon—it’s practically universal. “I do it myself,” she admitted. “Whether during commercials, sports, or even a reality show, the phone’s never far away.” Weaver suggests that beyond shoppable ads, marketers should maximize cross-device retargeting—using viewing data to reach the same person on other screens and apps.
With second-screen habits set to stay, marketers face a choice: resist or reinvent. “We can’t change how people consume content,” Weaver said, “but we can innovate around it.”
So here’s the question: Is this trend a sign of a fractured attention span, or just the next step in interactive storytelling and commerce? Would you rather be entertained while you shop—or shop while you’re being entertained?
