If we look back, we see how much we have come forward when it comes to the way we watch television. Our TV watching habits have gone under a major transformation with the rise of the streaming service industry and its phenomenal growth. But even with the evolution of newer technologies offering more platforms to watch TV shows, movies, and all forms of entertainment, TV remains a central part of the American lifestyle and occupies a core position in almost every house. We all love plopping into our sofas after a long, tiring day at work, grabbing the remote, turning on the TV, and watching an entertaining show. What makes it even better is choosing a good cable TV subscription like TWC TV, so you can have access to the most extensive channel lineup. But imagine, if you can do something more than just watching TV on your own?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could use Facebook and Twitter at the same time? Well, it is no longer just a fantasy. It has now turned into a reality. You can achieve all this by participating in social TV. If you are wondering what is it all about, this post has it covered for you, including what is social TV, its impact, and other prospects. Social TV is the outstanding fusion of television with social media, and it is as exciting as it sounds. So, let’s get going!
What is Social TV?
Social TV is a blend of both social media and television. It occurs when people share their TV experiences on various social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter, etc. In other words, when people talk about their TV experiences with friends and family on various social media platforms, it is called social TV.
So, we can say that any social media interaction regarding any TV show that’s airing in real-time is referred to as social TV. Marketing heads of big television networks can get a better insight into viewer psychology by keeping a track of these interactions. They can gather this information to target the users in a better way. Since millions of people are using various social media platforms, so marketers have access to an enormous amount of useful data that they can analyze while designing their marketing strategies.
Impact of Social TV on Advertising
The shows which enjoy an enormous amount of online engagement and have a massive committed audience consist of viewers who would want to watch many episodes without switching the channel that’s running ads. This is what matters to the advertisers.
The active participation in online chats while engaging in a show makes the audience more committed to watching the show to catch all the hype. Social shows are, therefore, of great benefit to the advertisers. Thus, the positive effect of social TV leads to greater involvement in ads.
Halo Effect and its Impact on Ads
The highly committed viewers who actively follow social TV have a higher level of attentiveness, and this changed cognitive state can be put to good use for processing ads. This is why an increased level of viewer attention is observed towards the ads and they are more susceptible to proceed towards purchases while being involved in their favorite social shows, as part of the halo effect.
How TV and Social Media Work Together?
- Reality Shows
The main idea behind social TV is to engage a wider audience while they watch their favorite shows. Reality shows are among the top favorites and play a big role in connecting an enormous audience on various social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook. Shows like the X-Factor or The Voice took over the world by storm, introducing fun activities online where viewers were asked to tweet their voice notes during the live show. Similarly, The Voice engaged the audience to share instant responses on social media platforms including tweets and hashtags.
- Brands Using Social TV
Brands make use of social TV for maximum audience involvement and participation. Big names like NASA have incorporated IGTV to promote information-based short videos on interesting topics. This is how social TV is catering to a vast audience, who can learn new things without any additional cost.
We also saw Netflix using the IGTV channel as an effective part of their marketing strategy. This is how it gains maximum attention from viewers who simply love the compelling content including video promotions or interviews, etc. put on IGTV.
Wrapping Up
Social TV has immense potential as it offers a more personalized TV watching experience to the viewers. Marketers and advertisers can benefit greatly from the information collected through the viewers’ interaction on social media to get a better understanding of which audience to target. Brands can also focus more on user demand and create more relevant content that reinforces their brand image to generate greater online traffic.
