Twitter is planning to become a paid advertising service for TV networks. In recent months, Twitter has been attempting to lure television and advertisers with a more advanced marketing product called Amplify. Twitter is primarily a free service, and it can already create significant real-time traffic regarding specific TV shows. This traffic is gaining more recognition from companies, such as Nielsen, and competitors like Facebook. Continue reading Social TV: Twitter Launching Paid Ad Products for Networks

At this week’s Advertising Week conference in New York, Nielsen is expected to announce that it will start incorporating viewership on mobile devices into its TV ratings system in the fall of 2014. The move is in response to changing viewership trends in addition to networks and industry analysts that have been critical of the company’s slow adoption of new technologies. Nielsen’s ratings data helps determine how advertisers spend about $66 billion each year. Continue reading Nielsen to Include Tablets and Phones in TV Viewership Data

According to a recent Nielsen survey, an increasing number of American consumers are turning to Internet-based streaming video services. The research indicates that 38 percent of those surveyed use Netflix, 18 percent use Hulu and 13 percent use Amazon Instant Video. These numbers all represent increases over the previous year. Additionally, binge-viewing is on the rise, with 88 percent of Netflix users and 70 percent of Hulu Plus users saying they watched three or more episodes of a TV show in a single day. Continue reading Nielsen Study: More Viewers are Accessing Streaming Services

ETC@USC Executive Director and CEO Ken Williams addressed the topic of advanced media technology for the home when he spoke at the NAB Futures Conference last Fall. As part of ETCentric‘s member exclusive features, we are pleased to present the perspectives Ken articulated to broadcasting leaders and technology innovators at the invitation-only event where attendees openly discussed the future of broadcasting and explored how businesses will thrive in this era of digital disruption. (Statistics cited reflect the timeframe in which the talk was given.) Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Ken Williams on Advanced Media Tech for the Home

When marketers discuss social TV and growing trends involving second screens, they are often thinking Twitter, which has become synonymous with the sharing of TV-related content. Last week we reported that Twitter had acquired social TV tracking service Trendrr in a deal that further consolidates the social TV monitoring market. Understanding social TV is rapidly becoming vital to marketers. Earlier this year, Twitter purchased social analytics firm Bluefin Labs, and Nielsen acquired SocialGuide. Continue reading Despite Growing Competition, Twitter Leads Social TV Wave

Twitter has acquired social TV tracking service Trendrr in a deal that further consolidates the social TV monitoring market. Twitter purchased social analytics firm Bluefin Labs earlier this year, while Nielsen picked up SocialGuide. Trendrr, which was developed by digital agency Wiredset and first launched in 2007, will not be signing any new social analytics contracts and its curation product will likely be fully folded into Twitter’s offerings. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Continue reading Twitter Boosts its Social TV Arsenal with Trendrr Acquisition

Twitter may be responsible for increasing viewership of live broadcast events. The company contends that significant Twitter activity drives buzz, which increases viewership. MTV’s recent Video Music Awards drew 10.1 million viewers, while more than 300,000 tweets per minute were recorded during the Miley Cyrus performance alone. While Facebook also generates social chatter about TV broadcasts, it does not always reach people as the show airs. Continue reading Twitter May Be Increasing Viewership for Live TV Broadcasts

Facebook video ads are likely to debut this fall, instead of this summer. The debut has fueled much speculation regarding the amount of revenue that this will generate for the company. The video ads are expected to offer a new way to target advertising to non-broadcast TV watchers. It will be determined what form the much debated videos will take, and if the $2 million price tag will attract businesses and audiences on the Web and mobile devices. Continue reading Facebook Expected to Unveil Video Ads for Web and Mobile

In a new study, Nielsen has confirmed a connection between television viewing and the magnitude of related Twitter buzz. The study suggests that Twitter activity can encourage people to watch TV programming and increase ratings significantly, while TV viewing can affect the number of tweets. Nielsen and Twitter have joined forces to measure Twitter traffic regarding various shows. Ultimately, it may be difficult to determine if Twitter actually influences TV watching or if it is a reflection of it. Continue reading Nielsen Study Finds Links Between TV Viewing and Twitter

Netflix’s use of data helps determine what its customers want to watch and how they want it presented. The company’s newest original show, “Orange Is the New Black,” is partially the result of analyzing viewer data. Netflix is using all types of collected viewer data in order to create content and to possibly shape the user experience. Viewer data is collected from multiple sources: Netflix, third party metadata and social media. Continue reading Viewer Data Used to Shape Netflix Content and Experience

Television remains in the majority for advertising spending in the first quarter of 2013, according to a Nielsen report. Television advertising has 59 percent of total spending and 3.5 percent of global growth. Newspaper and magazine ad spending has declined in this period. In contrast, display Internet advertising spending has grown significantly at 26.3 percent. Growth in Internet ads was strongest in non-U.S. markets in Q1. Continue reading Advertising: TV Keeps Majority and Display Internet Grows

The British music identification app, Shazam, recently received a $40 million investment from the world’s second richest man, Carlos Slim. Not known for seeding startups, Slim first made his fortune in the Mexican mobile phone industry, so funding a mobile app company is not farfetched. With Slim’s investment, Shazam is positioned to expand its current services in advertising and looks to grow in new international markets. Continue reading Carlos Slim Invests in Shazam to Expand its Advertising Biz

Twitter is quickly becoming a normal part of the television experience, in that it is changing how people watch TV. Twitter is allowing audiences to interact with scripted and reality TV shows directly, as well as provide real-time commentary. Viewers of hit shows, such as HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” are looking to Twitter as a popular place for viewer commentary. As television is increasingly shared on Twitter, new business and viewing opportunities arise. Continue reading Twitter Changing How We Watch and Interact with TV Shows

Facebook’s introduction of hashtags to its network may open new marketing possibilities for targeting the growing audience that uses mobile devices as second screens. According to Nielsen, nearly half of smartphone and tablet owners currently use their devices during TV viewing, often accessing content directly related to the shows they are watching. This demographic is ideal for planting ads, similar to what Twitter is doing with promoted tweets. Continue reading Facebook Hashtags All About the Second Screen Audience

Goldman Sachs recently reported that TV ratings have dropped by 50 percent over the last ten years, “the sharpest pace on record.” Ratings in the coveted 18-to-49-year-old demographic fell by 17 percent last winter compared with the previous year. Since 2004, studies have suggested that TV viewing would be one of the first leisure activities to be impacted by the Internet. However, while TV remains the dominant medium, digital natives are also turning to new forms of entertainment. Continue reading Will Tumblr and Twitter Define the Future of Television?