Television and Social Media: The Perfect Blend

I’ll admit it, I watch way too much TV. You name it: trashy reality TV, dramas, sitcoms, etc… Have you ever tweeted or posted something on Facebook regarding a show you were watching? I do and I enjoy hearing from friends who are watching the same show and hearing their opinion on what just transpired. I always thought social media drove us away from watching television but now I’m beginning to understand that if anything, it has helped us stay glued to the couch more and we end up watching more television as a result. Advertisers are now getting a deeper and more detailed understanding of the opportunities television and social media presents when combined. It can drive deeper engagement with the content on TV and this is something advertisers would love to capitalize on. According to a recent article, studies have shown that interacting with social media on a second screen makes viewers more engaged in programming than if they were watching alone without social media. Instead of assuming their social media device is distracting, it instead augments the way viewers watch TV and maintains their focus.

The article goes on to describe how “the researchers used biometric monitoring and eye tracking to gauge 126 Millennial viewers' engagement with episodes of "Conan" and "TMZ" as they participated in varying levels of social behavior. They found that viewer engagement levels while watching with a friend or connecting with a friend over social media were 1.3 times higher than for people watching alone and not using social media. Engagement among those using co-viewing apps, designed to deliver content and allow conversation in sync with the program, proved 1.2 times more engaged than those viewing alone without a social app. Viewers also seemed to appreciate brands that associated themselves with the second-screen experience, such as AT&T, which sponsored a Team Coco App to use while watching "Conan." A post-study survey showed that AT&T's brand favorability among those that used the app was 33% higher than those who didn't use it.”

All in all, this presents a very enticing opportunity for advertisers to drive a much richer engagement with viewers through brand advertising. As someone who uses social media frequently while watching shows, Facebook and Twitter only add to my viewing experience. Watching TV with a virtual community of people and fans of some of my favorite shows such as “Mad Men”, “Survivor” and “Game of Thrones” makes the experience ever more enjoyable.


http://adage.com/article/media/social-tv-viewers-engaged/235739/