Televison Expanding To SocialTV

YapTv

Television content is generating new spaces for conversation and viewership online and through social media. Broadcasters are looking for ways to provide innovative online solutions where viewers can interact and engage with their content and advertising brands. 

As a Media Strategy and Leadership graduate candidate at Northwestern University, I have been able to value how social media helps connect traditional broadcasting media with digital distribution platforms, providing rich content to the audience and improving the source of advertising revenue for all parties involved.

  

The latest example of this integration came on November 7^th with the announcement made by NBCUniversal, the broadcaster, and American Express, the financial services group. They are joining forces with zeebox and yaptv to further develop a “SocialTV" apps for tablets and mobile devices. Through this platform, viewers will participate in gaming activities, engage in conversations about their favorite programs, and will interact as consumers with special offers and rewards for products inspired by these shows. I recently had the opportunity to listen to Christina Kerley talk to my Direct and Interactive Marketing class about the relevance mobile devices have in engaging in every aspects of people’s life, and how companies risk losing relevance if they don’t quickly align their marketing strategies with “anytime, anywhere and always-on media platforms”. 

For the first time, television broadcasters have the opportunity to instantly communicate both ways to their audiences; so far ratings provided data without sentiments. SocialTV provides the opportunity to listen and gather data that includes comments, preferences and purchasing behaviors. Thus, media companies can develop effective and efficient marketing strategies to leverage viewership growth for niche programming. The future is wide open to expand multiple ways to introduce content in current and future digital platforms. Marketers should focus their efforts in creating collaborative strategies to align content and advertising to audience’s social trends.

Miguel Huerta is a Media Strategy and Leadership Candidate at Northwestern University. He has 17 years of experience television as a news executive producer in Chile. Follow him at @miguelhuerta