Social TV

(How Social Media is Finally Puttingthe Real in Reality TV)

Josh FriedmanNovember 16, 2011

• Publicity and Promotion

• Enhancing the Viewing Experience

• Impacting the Creative Process

Social TV

Publicity and Promotion

• Creating Buzz– A&E’s “Storage Wars”

• Drive viewers for season premiere with Twitter #storagewars• Multiple levels of engagement• Combination on air and online campaign

Creating Buzz: A&E Storage Wars

• On air: Incentivize viewer tweets by displaying tweets inlive on-screen ticker during run up to season premiere

Creating Buzz: A&E Storage Wars

• Online: Promoted trending topic #storagewars

Creating Buzz: A&E Storage Wars

Enhancing the Viewing Experience

• Engage Viewers and Encourage Interaction– FOX’s “X Factor”

• Vote by Twitter, DM @TheXFactorUSA (199,682 followers)• Pepsi Sound Off and Pepsi Pulse

Impacting the Production Process

• “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”– Latenight Hashtags

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/hashtags-11911/1367604/

Impacting the Production Process

• Story Development– Bravo

http://www.bravotv.com/tweettracker

Impacting the Production Process

• Story Development– Bravo

“If viewers like when they’re yelling at someone, we’ll use them yelling.”

- Amy Troiano, Bravo executive

Lessons Learned

• Build community• Give viewers (customers) an opportunity to

join the conversation• Listen, Listen, Listen• Take cues from social media to guide story

(product) development

Sources and Further Reading• Clifford, S. (2010, June 5). We’ll Make You a Star (if the Web Agrees). The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/business/06bravo.html.

• Katy (2011, July 25). Top 5 Reasons Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night Hashtags Work So Well. Retrieved from http://socialtimes.com/top-5-reasons-jimmy-fallons-late-night-hashtags-work-so-well_b71503.

• Sniderman, Z. (2011, October 18). “The X Factor” Gets Social With Help From Pepsi. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/10/18/pepsi-soundoff-x-factor/.

• Hernandez, B. (2011, October 26). Twitter Now Let’s “X Factor” Viewers Vote via DMs. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/10/26/xfactor-twitter-vote-dm-direct-messages/.

• Beers, T. (Producer). (2011). Storage Wars [Television Series]. A&E Television Networks.

• http://www.pepsisoundoff.com/

• http://www.pepsipulse.com/

• http://mashable.com/follow/topics/social-tv/