Opinion
TV myths and social truths
16 November 2011
TV has always been social. We’ve always talked about what we watch but new social tools have the potential to not only change what we watch but also to alter how we find out about it.
The real value of these conversations is what they say about the value of the programmes we watch or talk about. And what they say about the role of TV in our lives.
The digital age is frequently an age of urban myths and among the media fraternity there are three key myths about TV, myths that need correcting if we are to understand how the social conversation is of value to brands.
The first myth is that TV is in decline, notably among younger viewers. It’s simply not true if you look at the viewing figures. Data from Germany shows that online usage is not impacting on minutes spend watching TV and that younger viewers are still watching the same volume of TV they were nearly a decade ago. Younger consumers simply watch less TV and always have.
The second myth is that TV viewing is becoming increasingly fragmented. Data from Germany shows that the market share of the top tier TV stations has not changed over the last five years, a time when the average number of channels received by each household has risen by nearly 50%.
The third and final myth is that on-demand viewing replaces live viewing. In fact time-shifted and catch-up TV viewing makes up tiny fraction of viewing. In Germany it’s just 14 minutes a month compared to 2,760 minutes for live TV.
Similar data can be found in most European markets but this is not to say that TV has not changed. What’s happened is that it’s become more like radio, a medium that we engage with fitfully while also doing other things.
One of the most significant “other things” is using our tablets, laptops and mobiles to tweet or status update about the shows we are watching. And the volume of conversation around a show is massively revealing for a brand that wants to understand how appealing that TV show really is.
It also has a potentially dramatic impact on the way brands select and support TV programming. The number of tweets or status updates can be combined into an engagement score for a show that goes well beyond pure viewing figures and indicates active attention. Social TV is a great planning aid.
Brands can discover for how long consumers are talking about an event, gauge whether it really has social currency and should be supported via advertising or particularly sponsorship.
Monitoring tools such as Trendrr TV give brands a picture of consumer sentiment towards key shows, while social TV platforms such as GetGlue and SocialGuide encourage consumers to tell their networks what they are watching.
All of these platforms not only offer new places and ways in which a brand could extend its association with a programme but are important tools to help brands understand where and when their messages should appear on TV.
Oliver Gertz, managing director, Mediacom Interaction EMEA