How to Enhance TV Viewing with Social Media and Interactivity

PSFK recently posted on How To Enhance The Viewing Experience, Rather Than Interrupt It. The increasing availability of smart phones and tablets such as the increases the number of screens that consumer can view – or interact with – TV programming.   But will each medium take advantage of its characteristics to enhance the experience. Bob Greenberg, CEO at R/GA, recently provided some additional perspective in AdWeek in his post, The Future of TV. He notes that as TV use broadens the convergence of Web and broadcast TV will continue.  He also offers some predictions and suggestions.

Utility-driven marketing and interactive TV viewing: the experience of watching TV has shifted to a more active experience rather than the traditional passive couch potato image. Many consumers view TV while surfing the Web, texting or chatting. TV people need to recognize this and enhance this experience.

Social TV: Bob offers an example: last year’s partnership between Facebook Connect and CNN’s presidential inauguration; many players are creating a conduit for viewers to interact during programming. There are many others. Darwin is working on one through a PBS affiliate.

Social interactivity (via co-viewership, gaming): MTV turned TV watching into a gaming experience by inviting viewers during episodes of the The Hills to join chat rooms to write and rate comments. Comments with positive ratings accumulated points and respective winners. The one with the most points wins. There are many other examples.

TV commerce: The click of a mouse or the touch of a screen will eventually allow us to purchase products directly from video content. Operators will no longer need to be standing by.

The traditional media people who best integrate with new social media will be the winners.

 

Comments

[alexander]

Sounds awful. I just want to watch my damn The Wire I don't want to get txts on my phone with people's highest-rated Omar quotes.

But then TV was never going to die with dignity, was it?