Do Twitter trends and TV ratings have anything in common? Does a large Twitter following translate to a large TV audience? There seem to be a few contradicting views out there.
We all know TV viewership is fragmenting with TV networks facing the challenge of people being able to watch what they want when they want and on any device. Networks have been using social media in an attempt to alleviate this deterioration and to add more value to a program. But are there other opportunities out there in the realm of social media? Twitter claim their platform can benefit Networks by; boosting TV ratings, increasing the impact of TV advertising and reducing the chance of viewers switching station. And now with new measuring tools Twitter wants to be recognised for these boosting prospects.
At Twitters TV-style Upfront, the spotlight was placed on the platforms function as a second screen app for TV with the night’s hashtag #TVxTwitter only emphasizing this view. Using the current popularity of TV related tweeting Twitter has taken advantage of this naturally occurring trend by collaborating with Nielsen to produce the Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings (NTTR). NTTR, already available in several countries, allows users to view the number of show related tweets created and their reach (number of viewers). Further updates to come include the demographic breakdown of authors and viewers.
The first report run by NTTR which was presented at Twitter’s launch night is one example of how the platform believes they are aiding TV. On the 1st of February Network Ten’s I’m a Celebrity…Get me out of here! was the 2nd most popular TV program on Twitter and the 3rd most watched program for the night launching to a total Metro audience of 1.2M. There were many contributing factors to the program’s success that night but how much can be attributed to Twitter? The programs second night saw a different story with only 754,000 Metro viewers tuning in yet the show remained high on NTTRs ladder (3rd place). This suggests that some of 745,000 audience were potentially more engaged through added social interactivity and therefore more likely to return.
According to a US study by Nielsen social media “reminds” people to watch a program after it has aired (a 10% increase in NTTR impressions resulted in a 1.8% increase in +7 viewers, viewers watching within 7 days of broadcast). As Judity Nagy of FOX said “these recent findings further demonstrate an undiscovered opportunity in social word of mouth during and around live programming”. Television networks can learn a lot through social listening and now, with access to even more data, programming should be utilising this. With a lot of reality/live programming on TV, networks have more flexibility to adapt their content to suit the viewer’s preferences. This can also be seen with Twitter’s use in Ten’s I’m a Celebrity… to drive audience involvement. The program delivers live Tweet reads with prizes given to the most creative tweet plus voting is available via Twitter and Facebook.
TV networks require 2nd screen options to drive and engage viewership. And through Twitters collaboration with Nielsen it is obvious they wish to position them self as the go to companion app for TV. It is clear that these two platforms will prove stronger together in terms of long term viability rather than stand alone in the ever evolving world of media.
Kieran Stanbrook
Trading assistant
The media store