Americans engaging in 'multiscreening'

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Americans are increasingly using a combination of phones, tablets, computer and TVs to consume digital content, research conducted by Google found.

With market analysts Ipsos and Sterling Brands assisting, Google found 90 percent of all U.S. media consumption, or 4.4 hours per day, is happening across all four devices, TechCrunch reported Wednesday.

The study found users are watching TV on average for 43 minutes per session -- the most screen time spent on any of the four device categories -- but in a surprising finding, users are simultaneously on another device like a smartphone or tablet during 77 percent of that time.

Smartphones, with the smallest screens, are utilized in the shortest sessions, at 17 minutes, compared to 30 minutes on tablets, 39 minutes on PCs and the 43 minutes watching TV, the survey found.

However, the survey found, smartphones are the most common "partner" device used simultaneously with other screens.

The survey polled 1,611 people across 15,738 media interactions and nearly 8,000 hours of activity during the second quarter of 2012, TechCrunch reported.

No margin of error was reported.