According to new research coming out of NBCUniversal, social media is not yet a “game changer” in influencing television viewing – according to traditional Nielsen metrics. NBCUniversal used its Sochi Winter Olympics data on Comcast for the study, with over 1,500 hours of coverage to sit through across both broadcast and cable television, Internet, and mobile. According to NBCU, the social media activity around the Olympic coverage paled in comparison those who tuned in for regular prime-time coverage – on Twitter, there were 10.6m Olympic-related messages and 23m people saw tweets about the Olympics, while on Facebook 20m people posted, commented, shared, or liked something related to the Olympics, reaching a total of 150m users. Although those numbers are not stellar for such a huge, worldwide event, many have also cautioned that the data were skewed by a mass audience tuning in to the sporting event irrespective of social media input, and that for more niche dramas (like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones) social media still plays a big role.
Tag: NBC
Airbnb Nails Sochi Realtime Marketing
Real-time marketing is often hit or miss; Oreo was successful at hitting the nail on the head last Super Bowl, but since then many have tried and, in some cases, embarrassingly failed. Airbnb has another success story in this Olympic news cycle, after tweeting at reporters who were complaining about their accommodations at Sochi. Utilizing the now-trending #SochiProblems hashtag, they referred struggling reporters to their listings, complete with embedded pictures and enticing descriptions. The campaign has taken off, and it’s now progressed to brazenly replying to reporters who are tweeting their problems. It’s taking a problem and offering a creative, witty solution, and that type of work always sticks.
Faecbook & NBC Reach Olympics Agreement
Facebook and NBC have agreed to share their content – on TV and online – during NBC’s live coverage of the Olympic Games next month. Facebook and Instagram posts will be included in live TV, while NBC will post original and exclusive TV content to the social network. As well, NBC commentators will answer user questions in real time online. It mirrors Facebook’s partnership with Fox Sports, who in the past agreed to partner with Facebook for the NFL and college football seasons. The two deals – one on the heels of the other – point to a new way of doing business for the TV and Internet-based content industries, one that relies on complete unification across the mediums available to them. As TV continues to try and remain relevant in the era of cordcutting, moving online in this way may represent a viable solution to an increasingly challenging problem.
Spotify Runs TV Ads
Spotify is finally ready to enter the world of mainstream advertising, airing ads during NBC’s The Voice in an effort to expand on its 6 million paying subscribers. These 6 million put Spotify handily ahead of competitors like Rdio and MOG, but the future of the streaming model supporting these services is far from perfect, and music industry criticism of the financial repercussions of a subscription model could result in more than just grumbling in coming years. The old rumor that Spotify aims to become an all-in-one destination for all forms of media online – one to compete with Netflix and Hulu – has gained new breath in light of this ad push. Could Spotify be gearing up to take new ground, and potentially silence its most vocal critics by balancing its financial woes in the process?
Emmys acknowledge role of digital platforms
This year I sat in on the blue ribbon panel for judging the final winners of 2009 Emmy Awards for Creative Achievement in Interactive Media for Fiction and Non-Fiction. As a member of the executive committee for the Interactive Media Peer Group for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, it’s been a big year for interactive plays in all television content.
As announced earlier this summer, below are the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards Nominees for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media: Continue reading “Emmys acknowledge role of digital platforms”
Yet another Silver “man” lining
The departure of Ben Silverman from NBC has stirred up a lot of news chatter that this hammers yet another nail in the coffin of the traditional production company. As co-chair of NBC Universal Entertainment, Silverman was responsible for bringing the same programming flair he originally brought to his company Reveille, with such big hits as The Office and The Biggest Loser, translating many foreign hits into popular US shows. Silverman was also known for exploring new ad models. Now he’s leaving the company to start up a new venture in partnership with Barry Diller’s media and Internet company, IAC.
Anytime you mention “360” these days as a description for a new content model (which has been part of most of the press today), you have to raise an eyebrow and think, oh lordy, Silverman wants to be a cross platform cool kid. As my dear colleague, brand strategy expert Brian Seth Hurst twittered, “repurposed distribution does not a cross media value proposition make.” Continue reading “Yet another Silver “man” lining”
Top 10 reasons CES matters
The Lab team is heading to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week to roam the showrooms and take part in the massive gadget brain-exchange. We’ll be blogging live through the weekend–and here are 10 reasons you should stay tuned:
1. It’s like Paris’ Ready-to-Wear event of the year–but instead showcasing gadgets in Vegas. While there will be far more geeky men than hot models in pretty get-ups (I’ve already heard that a fellow digerati femme was one of only 10 women on her plane to Vegas), this is the place to look for what technologies and consumer electronics are coming down the line in ’09. THIS is the place where dreams are made, battles are won, hearts are broken. Okay, perhaps I’m pushing it. But, if you have any desire to keep abreast with technology, stay tuned (preferably here) for all the latest and greatest advances in consumer tech.
2. We might finally learn if this is the year the Internet will kill the TV star. (Check out the WSJ’s round up of reasons how it might). It likely won’t–but this year even a scaled back CES promises some amazing new solutions for watching video and TV via the Internet including two of my favorite new devices: New player ZeeVee is presenting their ZvBox which turns computers into an HDTV channel on your TV set; WhereverTV allows consumers to watch hundreds of international television shows on your television via the Internet (sign me up!)
Stay with me, I’ve got 8 more reasons CES is THE consumer event of the year: Continue reading “Top 10 reasons CES matters”
