With the onset of Social TV, and both hardware and software innovations on the horizon, television is on the verge of undergoing its most radical change since the introduction of cable/satellite. But at the same time, viewers are exhibiting behavior that reinforces what’s made television so special up to this point.
We’ve all seen pictures of families in the 1940’s gathered around the radio. They would even stare at the glowing dial, even though there was nothing to see. But it was a special experience. It was something families could do together. They enjoyed discussing what was happening on the show. And there was just one chance to hear it, after which, it was gone. Every broadcast was an “event.” That shared experience carried forward into the early days of television.
Fast forward to now. Viewers can watch whatever program they like, as often as they want to watch it, when and where they want to watch it. Shows that can be consumed in such ways ceased to be events. Yes, they’re enjoyed and appreciated, but they lost much of the “specialness” of shared viewing experiences.
Now there are rumours and questions swirling about Apple’s next move into TV. Could it be a cable-killer? Viewers may be able to easily eliminate the middleman of cable and satellite companies and pay for their viewing directly, and a la carte. Many networks, particularly Disney properties like ESPN, might appreciate no longer having to contentiously negotiate rates with cable providers. Viewers would have control like never before.
But…how much do they want? Along came Social TV and the concept of the second-screen. Right as technology facilitates watching shows alone at our convenience, viewers using Social TV are taking us right back to the real-time, shared viewing experience. And for brand marketers, these live, shared events are revealing themselves to be a premium. What’s worth more, an ad during the World Cup or a pre-roll in an online episode of “Deadliest Catch”?
In the US, the finale of “American Idol” generated over 1 million social comments. At its peak, the show was generating 23,876 tweets per minute. Even 10 minutes after the show, there were still 9,500 tweets per minute coming in.
Trendrr and AdAge do weekly online charts of tweet volume surrounding memes dominating Twitter conversations. These numbers show that live TV was instigating and driving social conversations more than anything else. And despite delayed and on-demand viewing capabilities, TVGuide.com shows 20% of viewers are watching more live TV specifically to avoid having the plot or results ruined by seeing them discussed on their social sites.
But along with live TV driving so much social engagement, there’s also evidence Social TV is likewise influencing the value of programs for marketers. Optimedia’s Content Power Ratings measure the social engagement of shows. Interestingly, not all of the top social shows rank high in traditional ratings. “Glee” was 2nd in social engagement but 74th in the Nielsen rankings. “South Park” was 5th in social vs. 238th place in ratings. “Family Guy” was 7th vs. 102nd on Nielsen. And “Jersey Shore” came in 8th despite a 191st ratings ranking.
Most TV networks are well aware of these foundational shifts going on in television and are putting social conversation tools in place to accommodate and exploit them. That’s in addition to TV check-in sites like Miso, GetGlue, Yahoo’s IntoNow, and TVGuide.com. These services gather up passionate, active audiences for brands who are savvy in the ways of peer-pressure marketing.
Networks are also using social to measure how well their ad spend is doing, conduct real-time audience research, fine-tune content so that it better resonates with the core audience, see how promos for new shows are resonating, and show advertisers the value of the second screen.
Takeaway for B2B marketers: The Social TV phenomenon is a perfect example of your target audience, through their behaviors, showing you what they want and how they want to interact. They will always do what works best for them, no matter what options are made available to them. Pay attention to what they’re telling you. Also, there is some content that works as convenient, on-demand material. But to really fire up engagement and interaction, consider major, one-time-only events. Your target will deem that content special and valuable provided that’s the way you treat and present it.
Mike Stiles
http://www.b2bsocialmediaguide.com/
We’ve all seen pictures of families in the 1940’s gathered around the radio. They would even stare at the glowing dial, even though there was nothing to see. But it was a special experience. It was something families could do together. They enjoyed discussing what was happening on the show. And there was just one chance to hear it, after which, it was gone. Every broadcast was an “event.” That shared experience carried forward into the early days of television.
Fast forward to now. Viewers can watch whatever program they like, as often as they want to watch it, when and where they want to watch it. Shows that can be consumed in such ways ceased to be events. Yes, they’re enjoyed and appreciated, but they lost much of the “specialness” of shared viewing experiences.
Now there are rumours and questions swirling about Apple’s next move into TV. Could it be a cable-killer? Viewers may be able to easily eliminate the middleman of cable and satellite companies and pay for their viewing directly, and a la carte. Many networks, particularly Disney properties like ESPN, might appreciate no longer having to contentiously negotiate rates with cable providers. Viewers would have control like never before.
But…how much do they want? Along came Social TV and the concept of the second-screen. Right as technology facilitates watching shows alone at our convenience, viewers using Social TV are taking us right back to the real-time, shared viewing experience. And for brand marketers, these live, shared events are revealing themselves to be a premium. What’s worth more, an ad during the World Cup or a pre-roll in an online episode of “Deadliest Catch”?
In the US, the finale of “American Idol” generated over 1 million social comments. At its peak, the show was generating 23,876 tweets per minute. Even 10 minutes after the show, there were still 9,500 tweets per minute coming in.
Trendrr and AdAge do weekly online charts of tweet volume surrounding memes dominating Twitter conversations. These numbers show that live TV was instigating and driving social conversations more than anything else. And despite delayed and on-demand viewing capabilities, TVGuide.com shows 20% of viewers are watching more live TV specifically to avoid having the plot or results ruined by seeing them discussed on their social sites.
But along with live TV driving so much social engagement, there’s also evidence Social TV is likewise influencing the value of programs for marketers. Optimedia’s Content Power Ratings measure the social engagement of shows. Interestingly, not all of the top social shows rank high in traditional ratings. “Glee” was 2nd in social engagement but 74th in the Nielsen rankings. “South Park” was 5th in social vs. 238th place in ratings. “Family Guy” was 7th vs. 102nd on Nielsen. And “Jersey Shore” came in 8th despite a 191st ratings ranking.
Most TV networks are well aware of these foundational shifts going on in television and are putting social conversation tools in place to accommodate and exploit them. That’s in addition to TV check-in sites like Miso, GetGlue, Yahoo’s IntoNow, and TVGuide.com. These services gather up passionate, active audiences for brands who are savvy in the ways of peer-pressure marketing.
Networks are also using social to measure how well their ad spend is doing, conduct real-time audience research, fine-tune content so that it better resonates with the core audience, see how promos for new shows are resonating, and show advertisers the value of the second screen.
Takeaway for B2B marketers: The Social TV phenomenon is a perfect example of your target audience, through their behaviors, showing you what they want and how they want to interact. They will always do what works best for them, no matter what options are made available to them. Pay attention to what they’re telling you. Also, there is some content that works as convenient, on-demand material. But to really fire up engagement and interaction, consider major, one-time-only events. Your target will deem that content special and valuable provided that’s the way you treat and present it.
Mike Stiles
http://www.b2bsocialmediaguide.com/
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