Idol’s first decade-multi media /multi revenue stream

June 5, 2012 Leave a comment

A lot has been said about the ratings decline of American Idol  over the years.  It seems there’s nothing we like more than a groundbreaking show than the demise of that show.  However, the is much to be said for the continuity of a franchise that has developed phenomenal  live, digital and social impact.  Here are some highlights of that impact from May of last year when the The Hollywood Reporter did a 10 year snapshot of  American Idol.American Idol's phenomenal revenue stream

Although the ratings are undeniable leading indicators, the American Idol franchise has done an impressive job of building out numerous revenue tentacles.  Can those tentacles of digital downloads, live concerts, merchandise, and more survive the decline of the mother ship program?  That remains to be seen.

Filed under Content Development, SocialTV, TV Tagged with , , ,

TV success= the killer set + social

October 18, 2011 Leave a comment

It’s clear that if you want to drive linear share of viewing, that you have to both drive your timeslot on the primary household TV screen and drive a social conversation around it.

The main household screen is the "killer set"

TV shows compete to be the main attraction on the "killer set" or main household screen.

Nielsen’s “Cross Platform is the New Norm” presentation at 2011 Advertising Week clarifies and illuminates the cross platform use of TV sets, iPads, mobile phones and other assorted hardware.

That we have more of all of these is relatively obvious.  But the insight that emerged in this presentation is that for linear viewing there is still one dominant screen likely out of the two or three in the household.  That’s the one everyone fights for to view their  primary video choice.  It’s the biggest, most HD/3D surround sound screen in the house.

That viewing choice on the “killer set”  is also likely to be augmented by the use of social media connected with that program.  Otherwise, why not DVR it?  Linear viewing still offers the best option for a social experience – more people to engage around the show both in the room and online.

“The X factor” and “Two and a Half Men” are examples that demonstrate concentric social and TV metrics that appear to build on each other.  Specifically reality shows exceed 25% of reported social TV-related topics such as winning (14%), voting (6%) and judging (6%) according to a recent Nielsen study.

Key takeaways: Earn the spot on the “killer set” and engage the view with their other mobile and tablet hardware. Engagement and the primary TV set in the house combine to create the perfect storm of audience achievement.

Filed under Mobile, SocialTV, TV Tagged with , , , , , ,

Right Man, Right Time? Or Right Social Media Man?

September 26, 2011 Leave a comment

Ashton Kutcher tweets "thanks" to his fans.When “Two and a Half Men” debuted this fall, the attention was focused on Charlie Sheen’s replacement Ashton Kutcher.  As marketers wake up to what is alternately called social TV, co-viewing or the 2 screens, it’s becoming more apparent that the true impact of Ashton Kutcher has more to do with his 7 million plus social muscle than his six-pack abs.  Consider the “Two and a Half Men” first episode social media and ratings numbers:

  • 92,000 social media remarks compared to an average 1000 previous episodes
  • 28.7 million viewers – the largest ever for the show

Since the Nielsen/Yahoo study in early 2011 identified that 86% of US mobile users watch TV with their devices and 40% of that use the devices for social networking.  The result:   a move to integrate social conversations at a depth beyond simply showing a twitter tease on the screen and/or voting.  The strategic direction of 2 screens is now shifting towards engagement with the audience in a fashion that truly amplifies the emotional ties of fandom.   This is the connection that has the big payoff.

Ad  Age(Sept 19,2011)  reinforces the TV/social connection with  number one of  “7 things you need to know about social TV right now”.  “TV Owns Social” they proclaim, with Trenderr research documenting the driving effect.

But  in the case of Ashton Kutcher, we are seeing the strength of the opposite driver.  Is the headline “Social Drives TV” the next step?

Filed under SocialMedia, SocialTV, TV Tagged with , , , ,

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