Beginning today in the US and in the coming months in the UK, Shazam users will be able to tag all of their favourite TV shows, as well as music.

Research undertaken by Deloitte found that almost half of 16-24 year olds and a quarter of all respondents use a computer or other device while watching TV. Shazam, the world’s favourite music recognition app, will streamline the second screen experience with an expansion of its television tagging service.

Shazam’s 250 million users will be able to tag TV shows and access information about the programme, casts and music on all available channels. They can then sharing tags via their own social media pages while simultaneously accessing tagged shows’ Twitter, Facebook and IMDB information. The expanded television service will put further strain on Sky’s Zeebox app, which had previously cornered the TV companion market in the UK.

"With more than a quarter of a billion people who have used Shazam worldwide, no other app has our scale when it comes to offering the opportunity to engage with the media that interests them the most, whether it's music or television," Shazam CEO Andrew Fisher says.

The Olympics saw a spike in second screen activity, particularly with viewers tagging and engaging with their favourite sports or athletes on Twitter. The new phenomenon has aroused the entertainment industry’s fears that second screeners are detracting from television’s appeal to advertisers. However, Shazam is responsible for $300 million in digital music sales and boasts a 10 per cent conversion rate between tags and digital music purchases.