Nielsen Study: Simultaneous Viewing Takes Off September 24th, 2009
Tom Amontree

With a vast array of entertainment options, today’s consumers are multi-tasking with media on an entirely different scale.  According to a recent Nielsen report, 57% of U.S. television viewers with Internet access watch both mediums simultaneously.  That’s 128 million consumers tuning into both broadband and traditional TV at least once a month.  And, while American television consumption is at an all-time high, the volume of online video viewing has spiked by 46% in just one year.  Mobile video, too, has experienced a 70% increase in the number of people tuning into programming via this technology.

As viewing patterns overlap and expand, it’s no wonder broadcasters are experimenting with tying together the various mediums through creative programming.  Take, for example, one of this week’s top Emmy-award-winners, Mad Men.  To promote the show’s third season, AMC launched a new “MadMenYourself” microsite inviting participants to build their own character and then integrate it into their personal Twitter accounts.  Along similarly innovative lines, Bravo hosted a Facebook/Twitter virtual viewing party for a television finale, successfully uniting fans and creating buzz.  And, MTV makes a point to integrate Twitter reactions in their red carpet programming.

CNN has long used social media tie-ins from its anchor’s on-air Twitter plugs to Facebook coverage of President Obama’s inauguration.  But what about smaller news networks looking to build their audience?  For the local Seattle news channel KCPQ13, the station’s tweeting anchors quickly captivated a loyal and diverse following of viewers, which has translated to bigger ratings.

Whether you’re a major network, a cable broadcaster, or a small town show, bringing the worlds of broadband and television together has great consumer appeal. Nielsen’s new ratings speak to this growing trend, and broadcasters’ early experiments on the social media landscape have proved innovative and effective.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 at 11:52 am and is filed under Benefits of Broadband, Reports and Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.