In Our Own Words

Social Media Hype Doesn’t Equal Viewership

While social media can be effective in creating a lot of buzz in the online community it may do little for the amount of viewership a new television series receives. A study conducted by the media buying firm Optimedia US discovered that the amount of social media buzz and the size of the audience that tunes into a TV show are slightly, if at all correlated to one another. The study found that the top five most buzzed about new television shows did not rank as high in terms of viewership. Additionally, some shows with little pre-premier buzz have ranked highest in viewership.

The metrics of the study were based on factors like Twitter activity, Google searches, and Facebook “Likes” before a new series’ premier. Also factored in was a show’s “KLOUT” score—its ranking based on its popularity on Twitter and Facebook. It compared this score to the size of the audience watching the show’s premier. Optimedia will keep the study ongoing to see if the pattern maintains as the season develops.

If it does, what does this mean for marketers? First of all, it rules out the idea that early buzz equals an instant hit. Last spring, buzz rankings influenced media planners and buyers purchasing decisions during their yearly negotiations with TV networks. However, depending on social media metrics to predict new television show hits and make future buying decisions is not a wise practice. A show’s ability to produce online buzz may be a better measure of the network’s marketing efforts rather than viewership. Disagreeing with the study’s conclusions, Preston Beckman, the executive vice president of strategic program planning and research at Fox, says that the social media activity occurs among younger age groups and buzzed about shows rank highly with younger audiences.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

by Lindsey DeLeo

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