Sunday Nights – When TV and Social Media Join Hands

When it comes to television, social media is at its most active on Sundays, according to Nielsen’s recent Social Media Report.  About one third of weekly Twitter activity and over forty percent of weekly Facebook activity focusing on television occurred in the United States this past fall. Audiences are very engaged with their television programming and want to continue the conversation online. Sunday Night Football, along with a number of very popular television series (The Walking Dead, Empire, American Horror Story) have inspired vast fanbases that not only return to watch on a weekly basis, but also post and discuss their reactions and follow conversations on their social media accounts.

It is interesting to see how strong social media activity is surrounding TV despite the fact that traditional TV is drawing in fewer and fewer watchers. Many Americans are opting to cord-cut, choosing instead to rely on streaming services such as Hulu or Netflix. On average, there has been a drop in TV ratings. Investing in television is still a viable option for advertisers, though it is becoming more important to get advertisements paired with shows that are receiving significant audience engagement.

Watching how the relationship between TV programming and its audiences has changed with the advent of social media has been very interesting. I think it is remarkable how people all over the world can participate in a conversation together as they all watch a story or event unfold. With TV, when a channel can create a show or program that gets so many people invested in what happens, those people are going to want to discuss it with others. It will be interesting to look at the statistics for the spring to see if the trend continues.