• Previous blog
• Next blog

2:34PM September 2 2011

It’s not TV, its Social TV

Back in January 2011, WIRED magazine predicted social TV as one of six tech trends for 2011.  Since this prediction, connected TVs such as Google TV and Apple TV have yet to establish themselves in the UK (we’re only 6 months in).  However, the socialising of TV via social networks e.g. allowing audiences to interface with each other, to connect, to recommend, to share and experience content, has significantly disrupted both the TV viewing experience and the TV industry.

With social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter, water cooler chat now takes place in real-time. As a result, audiences have an additional incentive to watch TV live, giving new relevance to both programmes and ads.

At Five by Five we have both experienced and contributed to the social TV phenomenon first hand.   Through the delivery of social TV campaign activities e.g. applications, live tweeting and Facebook community management for BBC 1, BBC Three and UKTV’s Watch, Gold, Dave and Alibi channels; we have witnessed how audience engagement with programmes via social media have had a direct impact on audience figures and repeat views.

As an ideas agency, we see future opportunities for developing social TV, by coming up with awesome content ideas that will enable more audience participation and interaction. 
One area that we are keeping a very close eye on is expanded TV and connected TV and how we can further develop upon / advance branded applications and utilities, incorporating social networks to enhance the overall viewing experience.

In addition to looking at great ideas for social TV, we are also educating our clients on the growing importance of social data. Social data empowers brands and advertisers to understand their audiences at a deeper level, thereby enabling content to become more highly targeted. The net effect of understanding and correctly interpreting social data is the ability to create content that drives audience participation and actions, leading to higher viewing figures and more earned media.

As part of our ongoing research in this area and for your viewing pleasure, we have produced a brief presentation that looks at what social, connected, and expanded TV actually are and how they have disrupted linear television.