Last spring, my social media feeds were flooded with Game of Thrones content. Everywhere I looked, I saw Game of Thrones posts, videos, hashtags, and memes.
The show’s final season holds the number one spot on Nielsen’s list of the most social series in 2019. With only six episodes, Nielsen counted over 31,000 interactions stating that “the show dominated organic Twitter conversations, proving that if a show has a dedicated following, audiences will be motivated to make time for live appointment TV viewing and Tweeting.”
As someone who is fascinated by two things, social media and television, I took a more in-depth look at this social trend –and it turns out it’s called Social Television, and it’s much more popular than I thought. Statista reported that “68% of people that are on their phone are looking up information about what they are watching on TV.”
The research explains that it all stems from us having more screens. Which makes sense considering, Nielsen’s latest Total Audience Report, found 73 percent of U.S. adults at least occasionally use a digital device while watching TV, with 45 percent admitting doing so “very often” or “always.”
So, social television might not be a social trend, but more of a social media behavior —that will probably just keep growing.
Why Do We Engage in Social Television?
The research article published in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media takes a closer look at social television and the different roles it can play for both the viewers and networks. The study titled “Understanding the nature, uses, and gratifications of social television,” was published online in January of 2018 and is the combined work of Jhih-Syuan Lin, Ph.D., Kuan-Ju Chen, Ph.D., and Yongjun Sung, Ph.D.
The study surveyed 310 individuals between the ages of 18 and 49 to identify social television behaviors and motivations. The survey found that more than 30% of the participants reported that they use social media to check in to the program they are watching, to view program-related videos, to check for program-related updates, and to seek out program-related photos. 26% also said they use social media to find out what other people think about the program.
To add to the growing research surrounding social television, Lin, Chen, and Sung’s research answers the question, “What motivates a viewer to search, share, or post content about a television show?”. The study concluded that the two most common reasons people engage in social television are to fulfill their need for social infotainment and their need for social companionship.
Because We Want to Know More
Social infotainment illustrates the viewers need to be entertained and their need for more information. When a viewer turns to social media to search for program-related tweets, memes, or videos, that viewer is engaging in another form of amusement, while gaining more knowledge about the program.
Because We Want to Watch Together
According to the results, people also use social television to fulfill their need for social interaction and companionship. Before the advent of tablets, laptops, and streaming devices, many households had one television set. Back then, it was not uncommon for families and friends to come together to watch television.
Today, streaming services provide viewers with the opportunity to watch television on a variety of different devices. The on-demand nature of streaming services also allows viewers to watch television wherever and whenever they choose.
Likewise, more than half of the study’s respondents said they did not watch their specific program live but instead watched it at a later date. Of those participants, about 40% watched the show on a streaming service, such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon, or the particular Networks Website, and 30% reported recording the program and watching it later on a DVR.
Additionally, the research findings show that participants demonstrated a need for company and a need to belong. Thus, they engaged in social television to feel part of a larger community of viewers. Since fewer people are watching television shows live and more programs can be viewed on portable streaming devices, television viewing has become a more individualized experience.
Social media platforms provide viewers with the perfect channel to create fan communities. Social television may function as the ‘social glue’ that allows viewers to take part in connected viewing experiences. According to Lin, Chen, and Sung, “Social television adds an interactive layer to television viewing experiences by providing spaces for viewers to socialize, bond over the shows they love and enjoy the collective knowledge and information shared by a larger community of viewers.”
What Does This Mean for Broadcasters?
In the same way, social television can create bonds among viewers; it can also create a relationship between viewers and broadcasters. In the study, they found a connection between participating in social television and being more committed to the program/more loyal to the network.
This is good news for television broadcasters. The research suggests that broadcasters can use social television strategies to create and maintain relationships with their viewers. For broadcasters, those relationships are essential, especially in this competitive media market, where viewers choose from an infinite number of programs.
These findings stress the useful role social television can play in the future of broadcast television. Lin, Chen, and Sung state that “A viewers’ social television participation may provide both broadcasters and advertisers opportunities to monitor, engage, and target audiences more effectively.”
The study also found that those who were actively involved in creating and sharing program-related content online not only showed greater loyalty but also showed greater advocacy towards the program and network. This finding presents a new function for social television-as it allows broadcasters to encourage repeated viewing of their channels and gain new audiences.
When viewers share content about their favorite television shows on social media, those viewers are recommending those programs to their followers. Lin, Chen, and Sung suggest that “Broadcasters capitalize on social television to enhance viewer engagement and transform viewers to ambassadors; in turn, social television can help maintain viewing consistency and earn market winning audience shares.”
Overall, this study provides evidence of thedifferent functions of social television. Social television is beneficial for both viewers and networks. Television fans who engage in social television are experiencing shows in a more complete andconnected way. Networks can use the fanbases created through social television, to bothengage with loyal audiences and build new audiences.
Advancements in television technology have changed the way we consume and market television programs. Social television provides viewers and networks with an elevated viewing experience that strives in a competitive media market. What television show is filling up your newsfeed, let me know in the comments below?
I am totally part of the 68% of people looking up information about what they are watching on TV! This blog hit home. I see one actor I can’t remember the name of and then I am in a blackhole. What was their name? Oh, I forgot they were in that movie! Who else was in that movie? And on I go. However, I also am a huge fan of the memes that are created about shows. My favorite part of Mondays after GOT was debriefing the episode and sharing memes in my work group chat. To be a successful show, it seems like creating a show that is also relevant to social media is becoming increasingly important.
The final season divided fans as well. Nothing gets social reactions like an internet fight unfortunately. The relationship between the networks, writers, actors, and fans has never been smaller and GOT is a test case of what that lack of separation looks like and how shows will be consumed, produced, and promoted in the future. I for one liked the last season!