Jessica Betsy
Twitter often talks about how it’s the best companion for TV. As a social media platform, users go to Twitter when one wants to express how they truly feel about a certain situation such as sharing their passion, for example, about their favorite TV show. And what many Twitter users look forward to, especially nowadays, is live-tweeting.
Live tweeting not only drives engagement by increasing total Twitter conversations, but also boosts live TV show ratings and lifts Twitter followers. Whether you watch a TV show like Scandal on Thursday nights or whether you tune into an award show such as the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, which is airing this Sunday, there are millions of people who take to Twitter to engage with others, including the actors themselves, by posting comments that are shortened to less than 140 characters.
This trend has been dramatically growing within the past years. And although the way we watch TV shows and the way we engage with one another differs from what we grew up with, especially with the way technology has developed, live-tweeting is certainly beneficial in many ways than one. According to an article in LostRemote, “As it turns out, one of the most powerful and direct ways to drive conversation about a program on Twitter is to have the stars of the show engaged on Twitter, particularly during the airing. In fact, we found that shows live-tweeting from cast members during the premiere had 64% more Tweets that day compared to programs that did nothing. Shows that live-tweeted from the official handle also saw a 7% increase over those that did nothing,” (Flomenbaum).
Then again, anyone who is part of the TV business certainly wants their show(s) to be a hit. Therefore, if a TV show is ever part of the cancellation bubble, the stars of the show have a strong understanding on how to help their show become a rating hit. As an article in Adweek states, “Cast members’ accounts get a 228 percent increase in follow after live-tweeting their shows, per research released today by Twitter,” (Rudy). This was not only helpful for the show Scandal as Twitter power-user Shonda Rhimes and Kerry Washington took to the social media platform to ultimately engage with their fan base, which helped the show from being cancelled, but as well as Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder, which truly rely heavily on live-tweeting.
Whether millions of people take to Twitter to follow others, read what other users post and possibly retweet the same post or even if they type up and send off their own comment for others to see, Twitter is a platform that many tend to love, especially since everything is in the heat of the moment. Though there are still some TV businesses who do not rely on Twitter. Why? Well according to an article in Forbes, “Twitter thinks it’s because they don’t have enough proof yet that it’s a good use of their time,” but the article also goes on to say that, “Gradually, it’s been connecting those dots. Past studies have demonstrated that seeing and remembering tweets about a show influences people to watch that show and that a surge of tweets often (though not always) produces a corresponding surge in Nielsen ratings,” (Bercovici).
Not only do people engage with one another on Twitter while a TV show airs, but also prior to a show coming on and even after it airs. Certainly so, this boosts even more fan engagement and builds the TV show’s audience as well. And in order to see when these social conversations actually took place, Nielsen studied Twitter’s activity. According to an article from Nielsen, “As expected, the majority of weekly Twitter TV activity—68% of Tweets—takes place within the live airing window around a new program airing (three hours before through three hours after). The percentage varies for different types of programming, ranging from 55% for comedies to 70% for reality programs,” (From Live to 24-7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond the Live Airing).
However, as for which shows have been most successful with the help of live-tweeting, in another article from Nielsen, one of AMC’s favorite shows topped the list for the second year in a row: “The Walking Dead, in all its undead glory, had an average of nearly 5 million people seeing at least one Tweet about each new episode of the program. There was clearly a lot to talk about, as people sent an average of 576,000 Tweets about each episode,” (Tops of 2014: Social TV).
Furthermore, live-tweeting conversations happen during live broadcasts, hence the word “live”. This is why there are many people who do not partake in this rising trend. In other words, not only do we have the opportunity of binge-watching shows on Netflix, but we also have the option to watch shows on our own time, when it fits into our schedule. This means that we have the advantage of recording shows to watch at a later time. However, people [like myself] who do this, are not able to experience this growing phenomenon that so many enjoy.
Although live-tweeting may have a downside, as technology keeps changing, the way we engage with others changes too. And it certainly seems as though social media, especially Twitter, helps us discuss the different moments we experience.
Works Cited
Bercovici, Jeff. "Twitter Quantifies Impact Of Live-Tweeting On TV Engagement." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 18 Sept. 2014. Web.
Flomenbaum, Adam. "Live-Tweeting TV Shows Lifts Conversation Volume and Follower Growth Rate." LostRemote. Adweek, 23 Sept. 2014. Web.
"From Live to 24-7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond the Live Airing." Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
Rudy, Melissa. "TV Stars Get a 228% Boost in Follow Rate When They Live-Tweet." AdWeek. 18 Sept. 2014. Web.
“Tops of 2014: Social TV.” Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
Margaret Thompson
ReplyDeleteIt is safe to say that Twitter is the best social media platform for communicating and participating in content specific conversations. I believe live tweeting is going to continue to grow during TV shows. I personally have a love hate relationship with the concept of live tweeting. I like it when I can engage in the tweeting, but I don’t like that live tweeting causes spoilers when I am planning to watch at a later date. I agree with Jess when she says, “users go to Twitter when one wants to express how they truly feel about a certain situation such as sharing their passion.” This is especially true during live tweets of TV shows. In the Neilson media report, “From Live to 24/7” the report shows that most people use Twitter to discuss what they are viewing and to express their enthusiasm. This is one of the main reasons that I like live tweeting. I can share my feelings, good or bad and read what others are thinking as well. These conversations often continue on after the live airing of shows. People are having Twitter conversations about what’s coming up in the series. “Social TV” as Nielson calls it is happening 24/1. “With viewers talking about TV programming on Twitter throughout the week, this around-the-clock conversation can open new doors for networks, agencies, and advertisers” (Nielson). I think networks, agencies, and advertisers are going to use this idea of social TV and live tweeting to their benefit. In the off days between new episodes I think people can expect to see more fan engaging initiatives on Twitter coming from the networks, stars, agencies, etc. Live tweeting is all fun and games until there are spoilers. I know to stay off of social media during the airing of all of my favorite shows. If I am missing a live airing of Scandal, I will not go on social media, especially Twitter until I watch the episode I missed. Spoilers via Twitter seem to be a frustrating topic for many people. “Before you tweet/Facebook/Google+/Whatever something take a moment and ask yourself ‘If I hadn’t watched this yet, would reading this ruin it for me?’ If the answer is ‘yes’ please DON’T DO IT. If you really just can’t help yourself and must expel your spoilery word vomit all over the internet at least extend the courtesy of plastering a big WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD sign” (Gingerlymost). In my opinion it is hard to point the finger at who should be blamed for spoilers. Is it the person’s fault who didn’t watch the show on time and still check in to social media sights, or is it the person who posted the spoiler without warnings fault? With the fast rate that live tweeting has grown recently, I don’t see it dying down anytime soon. I think it will continue to grow and expand into a 24/7 conversation on social media. The live show tweeting will turn into weekly Twitter conversation about episodes to follow. That being said, I think to avoid spoilers all viewers need to err on the side of caution when logging on to Twitter until they are caught up on the shows they care most about.
Works Cited:
"From Live to 24-7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond the Live Airing." Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
Gingerlymost. (2014, Dec. 1). KINDLY SHUT IT – A RANT ABOUT SPOILERS (DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS…). (Web Blog)
Brittany Berg
ReplyDeleteThe impact of live tweeting is continuing to grow. Live tweeting occurs during a television show that is currently being aired. “It’s wonderful watching or reading something for the first time and having no idea what is going to happen. That is something you only get to do once, and there have been many, many times I’ve read a particularly good book and wished that I could experience it for the first time all over again” (Gingermostly). If you are not watching the show you are able to get a play-by-play from live tweeting of exactly what is going on. This may be good or bad depending on which show is being tweeted about.
For example, if you miss the season finale of Pretty Little Liars you will automatically know what happens just by reading your twitter feed. This can ruin the surprise and suspense of what happens when you choose to watch an episode after it is aired. Furthermore, if you are not the biggest sports fan, but you want to get an idea of what is going on in the Super Bowl without watching it, you can follow it on twitter. By reading your twitter feed you will discover the basics and the most important aspects of what happened during the game. You have to stay off of social media for a specific amount of time if you do not want to know what is going on.
According to the graph, “2014 Top 10 Series on Twitter,” that Jessica posted, Pretty Little Liars was ranked third of all programs. The average audience was 3,807,000 people, and out of all those people there was an average of 489,000 tweets. This means that about one out of every seven/ eight people tweeted, about 13% of the viewers tweeted. “Networks whose programs generate more Tweets during the live airing can likely continue engaging audiences in the days that follow” (Nielson).
Overall, I think live tweeting is great, especially for people who rely so heavily on social media and not so much on television. But I also think that people forget to stay objective. “At least try to express your thoughts and emotions on a particular scene or episode without ruining it for the rest of us” (Gingermostly). I think the point of live tweeting is supposed to be giving a play-by-play of events, and people get wrapped up in incorporating their views in a 140-character tweet. I do not want to hear your opinion. I'm relying on your tweet to get a better understanding of what is going on.
Tweeting about television programs is constantly happening every day, every hour. I agree with Margaret, that live tweeting is great, minus the spoilers. I do not believe that one person is to blame, but rather both. The person that tweeted should be cautious of what they post, but also, the person that reads the spoiler should know better to stay off social media. Live tweeting is just another way to engage with other viewers.
Works Cited:
"From Live to 24-7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond the Live Airing." Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web
Gingerlymost. (2014, Dec. 1). KINDLY SHUT IT – A RANT ABOUT SPOILERS (DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS…). (Web Blog)
Kara Felegian
ReplyDeleteThis idea of TV interaction with Twitter is growing in a variety of weekly television shows and TV special. Although this is a newer trend for some, live tweeting has been successful though “power-users” such as Shonda Rhimes and Kerry Washington for a while. As we have talked about in class, these actors and producers not only comment themselves on what is happening during an episode, but interact with other users who then as a result feel more connected to the show. The article by Travis Reilly talked about how the CW feels threatened because “Shonda Rhimes and ABC with making it difficult to attract Thursday night viewers” (Reilly). I think that in some ways this has to do with the Rhimes and ABCs strong connects to Twitter. Many users, including myself, feel the need to stay connected to the show in comparison to shows on CW, which people can just watch at their leisure and there is not as much live buzz.
One of the challenges that I have noticed with live tweeting is it really makes users need to watch things live. If we do not w have to avoid other social media platforms because other wise the episode or plot points will be ruined for us. According to the article, or rant, Kindly Shut It, “I will go into social media blackout mode on these occasions to avoid seeing tweets from my East coast friends.”(Gingermostly). This idea of having to shut out social media completely is true. People don’t write “WARNING SPOILER AHEAD” before saying something about an episode and instead just tell the world (Gingermostly). I remember before the world revolved around social media and we tell our friends not to tell us what happened, but today we need to avoid certain social media platforms as well.
Interestingly when looked at the statistics of Twitter conversation on shows the most popular Network host is ABC holding 5 of the top 10 shows tweeted about on social media according to Nielson (Nielson). Another benefit for this channel on live tweeting is that their users are also watching it live, meaning that their live episode advertisements are also under a higher demand. From observation there are a more variety of ads as well as better ads during these prime time spots. As a result this idea of social media interaction gives a rise to other benefits for the show as well as Network. It makes me wonder in 10 years how much will this change and if the main TV conversation cite will still be Twitter?
Works Cited
"Kindly Shut It - A Rant About Spoilers." Gingermostly (blog). 1 Dec. 2014. Web.
Reilly, Travis. "CW Chief Blames Shonda Rhimes, ABC for Network’s Sluggish Thursday Ratings." The Wrap. 11 Jan. 2015. Web.
“Tops of 2014: Social TV.” Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
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ReplyDeleteTwitter is absolutely the best companion for live television. For whatever reason, it seems to be the social media platform where people are most comfortable posting their thoughts and reactions to certain television programming. Recently, I noticed that as I myself switched from Facebook to Twitter during the 2015 Golden Globes and Grammys, my Twitter feed was nonstop commentary about the two shows while Facebook had fewer mentions about what was happening. This is interesting in that it shows just how different the two platforms are; the two serve different purposes, and content that is considered appropriate for Twitter might not necessarily be as popular on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteThat said, one might wonder why Twitter is preferred for live tweeting during a television show. Jessica mentions several of the pros that come from using this social media platform over others. For one, tweets only consist of 140 characters. This makes it relatively easy to quickly interact with other users and at the same time keep up with the timeline of the show. That is, people are able to quickly comment about one moment and just as quickly follow that tweet with a comment about something happening seconds later. The presence of celebrities also attracts more users to Twitter than to Facebook; it’s one thing to “Like” a show or actor/actress on Facebook and another to have access to them and be able to communicate with them. For these reasons, Twitter’s really good at helping start conversations about whatever is on television.
Another great thing about Twitter is that it’s become a modern day “water cooler” (TheWrap TV Team). This means that people are connecting over events that are happening over television, and a lot of the conversation revolving around television is happening online on social media. It used to be that people would watch TV and wait to discuss it the next day with friends and colleagues, but now, the Internet lets fans discuss immediately, with friends as well as strangers. Admittedly, the tweets I loved the most during this years Golden Globes and Grammys weren’t those from my friends, but rather those viral ones that found their way onto my timeline through users who were relentlessly retweeting content.
Granted, using Twitter during a live viewing of a show is a great way to see what others are saying about it online, but it also has its drawbacks. I noticed during last nights Grammys that while a lot of people were talking about the show online, my friends and I were too involved with what was happening on Twitter to A). watch the actual show and B). talk to each other about it. Like any form of social media, Twitter makes it hard for face-to-face interactions to take place, even (shockingly) when there are people right in front of you. This goes to show how much of a spectacle Twitter is; some of my friends said they really only watch award shows to see what everyone says on Twitter and understand the references. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does say something about the way that social media is changing the way we are communicating (and even prefer to communicate) with each other.
Another thing I noticed is that many users take to Twitter to talk mostly about live entertainment. Nielsen’s Tops of 2014 shows that the Oscars, Grammys, VMAs, Golden Globes, AMAs, Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards, and MTV Movie Awards had larger audiences and were more tweeted about than State of the Union (Nielsen). Truthfully, I never watch the State of the Union, and I’d definitely prefer to watch anything entertainment over anything political anyway, but it’s honestly sad that awards season gets more attention than our country’s leaders talking about the state of our nation. Amusing, but sad.
"Tops of 2014: Social TV." Nielsen. The Nielsen Company, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
"TV's Winners & Losers: TheWrap's Best & Worst of 2014." TheWrap. N.p., 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Lindsay Goldstein
ReplyDeleteEveryone today live tweets to some capacity. Whether it’s a football game, a reality show or a scripted television drama, Twitter is a social media tool used to create and contribute to a conversation. Television has taken this idea to a whole new level as the trend of live tweeting is becoming more and more popular.
Live tweeting is a very controversial topic for fans of the social media site, as users either love or hate the trend. A big problem and a reason that I believe live tweeting isn’t even more popular than it is is because of the fear of spoilers due to time zones, binge watching or delayed viewing. The biggest reason that avid fans of television shows hate live tweeting is because they fear getting spoiled if they can’t watch live.
For Twitter users that live on the west coast especially, live tweeting is extremely problematic. In the article “Kindly Shut It – A Rant About Spoilers,” Gingermostly writes, “Being on the west coast, spoilers are a particular problem on Twitter, what with live tweeting being all the rage these days,” (1). I learned first hand just how difficult live tweeting was to manage when I lived in Los Angeles this summer. ABC Family’s hit drama “Pretty Little Liars” is one of the most talked and tweeted about television series on the air today, as demonstrated by the chart from Nielsen. Because of this, Twitter becomes dangerous at 5 p.m. in Los Angeles, when I was still sitting at my desk at my office, working on assignments that involved scanning social media sites for the latest news and trends. To fully and adequately do my job, like many other members of the media in Los Angeles, I had to use Twitter, thus I was forced to read spoiler after spoiler from fans in New York who were live tweeting.
To combat the issue, many actors and members of the industry either split up the live-tweeting duties, with some following along on the east coast and others on the west coast, or they simply tweet twice. It doesn’t necessary make the problem go away though. Those who feel and act negatively towards live-tweeting do so because it means that they have to avoid the social media site all together during primetime hours on the east coast.
Lindsay Goldstein, continued
ReplyDeleteThe fact that networks and television shows have become such huge fans of live-tweeting and social media interaction is extremely interesting. You can’t really find a show today that doesn’t constantly have suggested hashtags on the bottom of the screen, encouraging fans to live tweet. The problem, though, is that fans do, many with little to no regard for other fans who can’t watch the show live.
Although networks have begun to encourage live tweeting, it’s interesting to note that some have struggled due to the trend. In an article titled “CW Chief Blames Shonda Rhimes, ABC for Network’s Sluggish Thursday Ratings,” Travis Reilly of TheWrap explains that The CW’s Thursday night lineup, for example, struggles with ratings because they are up against Shonda Rhime’s hugely successful series “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder.” The three Shondaland shows have a huge social media following, encouraging live-tweeting by getting their stars to tweet along and creating unique hashtags to use as new episodes air. Fans of the show watch live because of this, which means trouble for networks like The CW, whose “scripted series rank near the bottom in terms of live viewership and ratings share,” (Reilly 1). Because viewers are live tweeting ABC’s shows, they’re not watching any shows on other networks, causing a huge drop in ratings. It doesn’t necessarily mean that shows on Thursdays at the same time, like NBC’s “Parenthood” or The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” aren’t as popular or good, they’re just not as successful on social media, which unfortunately contributes to their poor ratings.
WORKS CITED:
Gingermostly. “Kindly Shut It – A Rant About Spoilers.” Gingermostly. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
Reilly, Travis. “CW Chief Blames Shonda Rhimes, ABC for Network’s Sluggish Thursday Ratings.” TheWrap. 11 Jan. 2015. Web. 7 Feb. 2015.
“Top of 2014: Social TV.” Nielsen. Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 7 Feb 2015.
Jake Carleton
ReplyDeleteBlog #2
Live Tweeting television events has become an ordinary part of the television watching experience for viewers. Now you see hashtags (#) at the bottom of the screen in almost every television programs these days. The goal of this is to give the program more exposure and hopefully gain more viewers, which would allow the program to charge more for commercials and in turn make more money. Twitter is a platform that enables for a collaborative discussion between people, and the use of it could be to find others who want to discuss the things that they would like to talk about. There are some things that can have negative effects though from live tweeting a show, and that would be the possibility of spoiling the show for other viewers. This is evident in the article titled Kindly Shut It, which encompasses the possibility of people talking about a show via Twitter, and other people who want to watch it have the show ruined for them. The article states, “Quit assuming your friends have tuned in to watch at the same time as you. Even if they are in the same time zone as you are, we live in the age of DVR and people (gasp!) have lives outside of television” (Gingermostly). The limits of technology now are more vast then before, and people have the ability to watch what they want, whenever they want. For example, I follow many television shows, but I do not always watch it when it is airing live, and often use VOD applications to watch the shows. Due to this I often have to beware the tweets that I look at are not about the shows that I plan on watching. There have been times where I see something about a show that I watch, and the ending is spoiled. Like the article says, “At least extend the courtesy of plastering a big WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD sign” (Gingermostly).
The Nielsen ratings did a collective reading on the number of tweets regarding shows, events, and specials in 2014. The data that was collected showed stats that made my television viewing seem as though I do not have much to worry about regarding live tweets ruining a program or event for me. The ratings show the top five watched series that were discussed on Twitter were “The Walking Dead, The Bachelor, Pretty Little Liars, American Horror Story: Freak Show, and Game of Thrones” (Nielsen), and I watch none of these shows at least regularly, so I do not have them ruined for me. In regards to Specials, I think that seeing tweets about the shows makes me want to tune in more to the special than I had wanted to before. Zany things like Kanye West going on stage and ruining Taylor Swift’s speech, are things that I saw on Twitter, and then made me tune into it live. Another thing the article discusses is sporting events, and how often they are tweeted about. With regards to this I often watch sports live anyways, and Twitter can help me to get inside stats that I would not possibly know while I am watching the game (Nielsen).
Twitter is becoming more popular every day in the World, and the use of live tweeting in television is a major part of this phenomena. I agree with your post Jess that tweeting will become more prominent in the use of advertising for television. I think it will be interesting to see how live tweeting will affect the way that we view television, as it seemingly could go one of two ways, either it will promote the live viewing of television, or it will stray people away from looking at Twitter during certain programming events.
Work Cited:
“Tops of 2014. Social TV” Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
“Kindly Shut It – A Rant About Spoilers” Gingermostly (blog). 1 Dec. 2014. Web.
ReplyDeleteAs technology changes the way we use it changes as well. I agree with your argument on how Twitter and live tweeting boosts live television ratings and followers. Although Twitter can’t measure up to Facebook’s “1.3 billion monthly active users and $2.9 billion in revenue” (Forbes), Twitter has created communities around television’s lively aired shows where viewers have the chance to communicate and express his or her feeling at that particular moment.
Personally I think the relationship between AMC’s The Walking Dead and Twitter is monumental. While the show airs every Sunday night, I always have my phone or tablet in order to tweet at my friends about the show. I use hashtags and tweets after every tweet regarding to the show so I’ll be connected to random followers of the show who have their own argument, feeling, etc. about the episode or a particular moment. Falling in the demographic of The Walking Dead’s success, I found it interesting that “For the second year in a row, AMC had a show that topped our series list. The Walking Dead, in all its undead glory, had an average of nearly 5 million people seeing at least one Tweet about each new episode of the program… as people sent an average of 576,000 Tweets about each episode.” (Neilson) Another interesting point that stood out in your post was the finding that “As expected, the majority of weekly Twitter TV activity—68% of Tweets—takes place within the live airing window around a new program airing (three hours before through three hours after)” (Betsy 1) This is the only time where I find myself tweeting about a television show.
Not only do I tweet about The Walking Dead, I find myself tweeting about live sporting events and things I find interesting. The relationship between Twitter and television has evolved so much that the logo has found its way on the official NBA basketballs. Before every NBA pregame or postgame show, commentators read tweets from the fans who refer to the conversations or the topic. The thought of a fan getting his or her tweet read on live television is a way for audience engagement in the show. Finding ways to keep the viewer engaged in a show correlates to the results of boosted ratings and followers.
Although television ratings are decreasing by the year because of the emergence of the DVR and other playback sources, television networks need to find ways where people enjoy watching live television. According to Jim Edwards, author of the Business Insider, “About 5 million people ended their cable and broadband subs between the beginning of 2010 and the end of this year… Time Warner Cable, for instance, lost 306,000 TV subscribers.” (Edwards 1) Although people are unplugging their cable, the staggering demographics of The Walking Dead’s fan base that tweet about the show shows that there are still a wide number of viewers who watch television, the issue is finding ways for television networks to entertain its audience. With advertisements and commercials dominating television shows, I think the demographic of users watching live television will continue to decrease until networks begin to air “must watch” shows that makes people want to talk to each other about on all forms of social media.
Works Cited
"From Live to 24-7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond the Live Airing." Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
Edwards, Jim. "TV Is Dying, And Here Are The Stats That Prove It." Business Insider. 24 Nov. 2013. Web.
McCarthy, Niall. "Facebook Versus Twitter In Numbers. Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 04 Feb. 2015.
Julia Timpanaro
ReplyDeleteOver the past few years, Twitter has definitely been on the up and coming. Whenever I watch a reality television show, I always notice that there is a hashtag for that specific show. I think that it is ingenious that television shows are now using specific hashtags to get people to live tweet. In my opinion, this is a brilliant idea, because it not only gets the audience interactive, but also gives the show free publicity. When it comes to expressing your views and opinions on social media, I personally have mixed emotions about that. In one way, I can see how tweeting your feelings could be a good thing, if it is making a positive change and or view. On the other hand, I see where it could be detrimental; an example would be when people have negative commentary and or criticism.
As mentioned earlier, television shows are using Twitter as another social media platform. In the reading From Live To 24/7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond The Live Airing, it talks about how “the majority of conversations happen during live broadcasts” (Nielsen). Jess mentions in her blog post how live tweeting boosts television shows ratings. I think that we will slowly but shortly see every show have a hashtag if this continues to be the case.
Even though we might see television shows adapting more towards hashtags, I agree with Margaret and Brittany when it comes to spoiler alerts. In today’s world, it is almost nearly impossible not to have a spoiler alert. Although I do not personally have a Twitter account, I know many people who do. A perfect example would be my roommates. I know every Monday night, all three of them tune in to watch The Bachelor. While they are watching the show, 2 out of the 3 are live tweeting and or reading tweets from other viewers. I know one account that is well known for making fun of the show is called “princess problems”. Moral of the story here is that, many people who are watching the show are live tweeting and or reading other peoples tweets, whether they are written in a funny or serious matter.
In the reading Kindly Shut It -A Rant About Spoilers (Does Not Contain Spoilers…), it talks about how you have to be careful when you are on social media because it can have (and most likely will) spoiler alerts about your favorite show. “Typically, I will go into social media blackout mode on these occasions to avoid seeing tweets from my East coast friends” (Gingermostly). I thought that this was a perfect quote because this is how I feel when I go onto Facebook, due to the fact I don’t have and refuse to create a Twitter account, and see spoiler alerts. I agree with Jess when she talks about having the freedom to watch Netflix at our own leisure.
Even though there may be spoiler alerts, it is the price I am personally willing to pay the if it means I can have the freedom to watch my shows at my own leisure.
Works Cited
Gingermostly. "Kindly Shut It - A Rant About Spoilers (Does NOT Contain Spoilers...)." You Know Graceful The opposite of That. N.p., 01 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Feb. 2015.
Nielsen. "Newswire ." From Live to 24/7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond the Live Airing. Nielsen, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 07 Feb. 2015.
Erika Almanzar
ReplyDeleteIn terms of social media platforms and television viewing, it seems clear that Twitter is the most compatible when it comes to the idea of “Social TV” (Nielsen). From a weekly episode of American Horror Story: Freak Show, to The Academy Awards, it almost seems like the social norm for Internet users to tweet throughout live program airings. Even actors/actresses and shows are becoming part of the ongoing trend by creating Twitter accounts and hiring professionals to help manage and update their profiles. For example, right after finishing this week’s episode of Jane the Virgin, I quickly saw tweets from the show’s account on my Twitter feed and from Gina Rodriguez as well. With shows constantly utilizing social media accounts such as Twitter, they have the ability to gain thousands of followers and expand their fan base by promoting a program to a larger mass audience. With ratings systems such as those from Nielsen, updated charts provide numbers by the thousands and millions to give an idea of the impact of social media on other communication mediums, such as television.
According to the chart presented in Jessica’s post, shows, such as Pretty Little Liars, receive an estimate of about 3 million viewers, with 489,000 tweets generated each episode (Nielsen). However, I believe that while sitcoms are highly successful throughout social media, live-tweeting seems more frequent during television specials, such as the Super Bowl or Grammy Awards. Since programs such as these are less accessible online, viewers tend to tune in to their live airings. For example, last year’s Oscars received the highest amount of live-tweets of 2014 television specials, with over 203,000 tweets throughout the program (Nielsen).
While social media outlets such as Twitter have helped increase the popularity of television programs, why are ratings still decreasing? In recent years, the television industry has suffered tremendously due to online streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and HBO GO. According to Business Insider, Time Warner lost about 306,000 subscribers, while all major providers lost around 113,000 subscribers back in 2013. With the convenience of accessing episodes online, subscribers are no longer finding a need to use televisions as often. With the exception of television specials such as the Super Bowl and Olympics, it seems as though even social media cannot help retain television viewers.
Lastly, Jessica is making a great point when she states that the phenomenon of “Social TV” or live-tweeting, is really only occurring during live airings. Since ratings have dropped among many channels and programs, Nielsen has created a rating system for viewings within hours and also in weekly time span of an episode’s airing due to the popularity of streaming. While live-tweeting has increased with the growth of social media, it is still not as popular among weekly airings that can be found online. However, I do believe that while many online users choose not to live-tweet a show, it is beneficial for those who do in terms of communicating with other fans and staying updated, as well as with the programs and actors/actresses themselves in gaining attention and exposure. With the future of television being so heavily influenced by the Internet and social media users today, it will be interesting to see how the medium responds to more changes in the upcoming years.
Works Cited
Edwards, Jim. "TV Is Dying, And Here Are The Stats That Prove It." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 24 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Media and Entertainment. "From Live To 24/7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond The Live Airing." Www.Nielsen.com. Nielsen, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Media and Entertainment. "Tops of 2014: Social TV." Www.Nielsen.com. Nielsen, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Caroline Gaudet
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! I definitely think that you made a great point in saying that twitter really is the future of social media and television viewing. It seems that more and more shows are becoming keen to the drastic effect that live tweeting can have on viewers and you see hash tags popping up much more often, encouraging users to engage in online conversation (Neilson)!
Of any social media platform popular in our society today, Twitter is one that really creates a much smaller and more intimate global conversation. We speak of a shrinking global community, and this is an illustration of this. I could sit on my couch and have a conversation about a television show with someone in Beijing in real time. Conversations that used to remain inside the home have gone global, opening users up to a variety of different opinions, cultures, and views of different social issues, hot topics, and most often, television shows! Unlike Facebook or Instagram, platforms on which users post different opinions and information and then wait for other users to comment or express their opinion, twitter enables us to have real time conversations. As stated in an article posted on the Neilson website, “Millions of people take to Twitter to share their passions about their favorite programming in the heat of the moment—as the moments happen “ (Neilson.com). Twitter satisfies society’s insatiable hunger for constant stimulation. It’s only natural for our fast paced society to fall in love with a platform with a “snooze you lose” attitude. In most instances, if you’re not participating in real time, you’re left out of much of the twitter conversation (O’Connell). Some argue that many users don’t use twitter for live tweeting, that they use the platform to express their ideas, not caring about comments or feedback from other. However, that takes the “social” out of the “social media.” Twitter was created to spark a conversation in real time and that’s exactly what it’s been successful in doing for so many years.
Twitter also creates free advertisements for different trending television shows (Neilson). If an individual were to be using twitter and live tweeted that they were currently watching a television show and enjoying it and another were to see that tweet, how different would that be than that second person viewing a sponsored advertisement informing them that she show is currently going on? Both inform that a television show is taking place. Both inform that it’s interesting and viewers are enjoying it. The only physical difference is that the television show would have had to pay for one type of advertisement and not the other. Not only does live tweeting encourage those currently viewing to be more engaged in a specific show, but it encourages those not viewing to watch the show as well.
DeleteLive tweeting has a definitive impact on the media industries, and media professionals are definitely taking notice (Neilson). According to an article posted on Neilson.com, in 2014, “Nielsen ranked the top series, special event telecasts and top sports events across Twitter. Nielsen also revealed the most-Tweeted-about minute in each category” (Neilson.com). The fact that the Neilson rating system has acknowledged the impact of twitter and has begun to measure that impact on viewers says a lot for the platform itself. Twitter is not just a fleeting technology. It truly is affecting how we as a generation view and respond to different media messages, and it’s something to be acknowledged.
Works Cited
"FROM LIVE TO 24/7: EXTENDING TWITTER TV ENGAGEMENT BEYOND THE LIVE AIRING." Neilson.com. Neilson, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
O'Connell, Michael. "The Highest-Rated Broadcast Series of 2014 — and How People Watched Them." Hollywood Reporter. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2014.
"TOPS OF 2014: SOCIAL TV." Tops of 2014: Social TV. Neilson, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2015.
Evan Conti
ReplyDeleteThe importance of live tweeting has dramatically changed the culture on how we as a society interacts with each other when discussing debatable topics and or popular movies, sporting event or TV show. These live tweeters express their feelings to all of their followers in 140 characters or less. It is a big reason why twitter became so popular. It is something that all live tweeters look forward to before during and after the event or show that they enjoy, or in some cases dislike watching.
I completely agree with Jessica when she says that live tweeting drives engagement when it comes to the TV show or sporting event. It also greatly boosts TV shows ratings and lifts Twitter followers. The trend of live tweeting has greatly grow within the past year. Neilson.com wrote an article on December 15th stating that Social TV is no longer a new phenomenon. The new phenomenon is that millions take Twitter to share their passions about their favorite programming in the heat of the moment. Even though the majority of conversations happe n during live broadcasts, networks and agencies can now quantify how much of the discussion happens outside of the live airing window for more than 650 English and Spanish language programs. Nielsen Social recently analyzed 24/7 Twitter TV activity around 72 weekly broadcast and cable series programs in August and September 2014. It was no surprise that The majority of weekly twitter TV activity was taken place within the live airing window around a new program at 68%.
What Neilson proved from this analysis is that social TV happens around the clock. “Even though live airings account for the lion’s share of weekly Twitter TV activity, networks and agencies now have the opportunity to explore how and why audiences engage on Twitter between live airings”. TV shows embraced the opportunity to live tweet during premier episodes. I personally think that live tweeting is great but it has become excessive. For example I used to follow the official HOMELAND and Shameless twitter page. Both of these shows twitter page excessively live tweeted and retweeted what other fans had to say about the show and current episode. It got to the point that If I was not able to watch the Sunday night show I could not log onto twitter until I had the chance to watch the most recent episode. I got fed up doing that and it got to the point where I had to unfollow the official twitter pages of my favorite TV shows because of the excessive live tweeting.
Those two shows did not even make Nielsons top ten series on twitter. I couldn’t believe that the Walking Dead had an average of 576,000 live tweets per episode. I can’t even imagine how many tweets about the season finale. I still have not caught up to walking dead but I feel like I already know what happened because of all of the live tweets. I do believe that live tweeting is great, especially If you are a diehard fan but from a temporary twitter user I find live tweeting to be way to excessive between sporting events and TV shows. I also understand that this is how we communicate about these events in the society that we live in today and It is something that I will have to continue to understand and adapt to. I wonder how many average tweets my favorite show of all time prison break would have had on a weekly basis is twitter was this popular 10 years ago!
Work Cited
"From Live to 24-7: Extending Twitter TV Engagement Beyond the Live Airing." Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
“Tops of 2014: Social TV.” Nielsen.com. 15 Dec. 2014. Web.
Eddy Negrepont
ReplyDeleteSocial media has become a huge part of the society we live in. Twitter has become one of the most popular forums of social media. When it comes to television shows there is not many social media platforms that have a greater effect on the audience then twitter does. One thing that Jessica talked about in her blog is the impact of live tweeting. Having an actor or even a pro sports player to live tweet during a game or television show is a great idea to make the audience more interested and involved in what is going on.
Nielson.com backs up this statement saying “Social TV is no longer a new phenomenon. Millions of people take to Twitter to share their passions about their favorite programming in the heat of the moment—as the moments happen. While the majority of the conversations happen during live broadcasts, as networks look to boost fan engagement and build program audiences, networks and agencies can now quantify how much of the discussion happens outside of the live airing window for more than 650 English and Spanish language programs.” I believe that this is one of the best ways that you can build audiences and make your television show much more popular and talked about. Also, Neilson analyzed Twitter TV finding out that “68% of Tweets—takes place within the live airing window around a new program airing (three hours before through three hours after). The percentage varies for different types of programming, ranging from 55% for comedies to 70% for reality programs”
Kelly Clarkson recently made news with live tweeting during the Grammies this past Sunday. According to E.com “The 32-year-old singer has been live-tweeting about the awards show ceremony all night and her thoughts on this year's Grammys are hilarious and perfect.” I believe that this makes fans more interested and involved in what is going on and makes them feel like they are apart of the same things as celeberties.
Twitter has really taken a completely new step in trying to get people more involved. Recently, the NFL had their pro bowl game the Sunday before the Super Bowl. This year they decided to do things a little differently. The NFL decided to let players tweet before and during the games and answer questions that fans send in. I believe that they did this because they know a lot of fans do not care much for the Pro Bowl since it is meaningless. I believe that this is a great way to get fans more involved in watching the game. According too NFL.com league spokesman Brian McCarthy said, "This is an innovative way to further engage our fans who have an insatiable appetite for football. NFL players have been very active on social media and enjoying talking to fans. The nature of the Pro Bowl enables us to have players tweet during the game."
With all of this being said there are a lot of television shows that are big winners and losers during all of this. DVRs have been a big part in television shows having success. According too Michael O’Connell in the highest rated broadcast series he said that “After years of hedging next-day ratings to little effect, 2014 may finally have brought a sea change in how most people judge and digest the success of a television series. Networks are wooing more and more advertisers based on DVR stats and time-shifting, and some have turned their backs to even discussing live viewership.” As you can see, we are moving into a new era of how to watch television. I think that these ways are ultimately going to be a huge success of shows all across the world.
Works Cited
NFL.Com
E.com
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/highest-rated-broadcast-series-2014-760484
NIELSEN.COM