Social media is increasingly engaging viewers in their favourite TV shows, but the amount of Tweets does not necessarily tally with the programmes audiences.
Research conducted by TV Genius found the shows most likely to trend on Twitter were those with a loyal following, such as soap operas or reality TV, or something that people were likely to be opinionated about such as the perceived bad hairstyle of an actress.
Current affairs programmes show the greatest variation in levels of Tweets. This is particularly true when a topic polarises the audience, 900 Tweets about the show following an interview with a UK Uncut representative about the London protests.
“There is no doubt that Twitter is complementing the TV viewing experience and our own research has shown that new media is increasingly having a direct effect on content discovery as people tune into what their friends and connections are giving their opinions on,” said Tom Weiss, CEO, TV Genius, which has launched a series of tools to measure TV activity on Twitter. “TV viewing figures tell us a lot about which shows are the most popular, but they do not give any indication towards people’s opinions and levels of engagement. If they are tweeting about a show, we know they are engaged and that it is relevant to them and not just running in the background. Our new analytics service enables operators or content owners to learn more about their programming and make strategic decisions based on the knowledge they receive.”
The latest stats show the top trending programme to be ‘Mockumentary’ Angry Boys, which has generated 14,232 Tweets, followed by Doctor Who, Geordie Shore, Family Guy and Britain’s Got Talent.
