Twitter and Starcom MediaVest reveal social TV findings

Laura Desmond

Twitter amplifies significant cultural moments far beyond original broadcast audiences, according to a new social TV study by the social network and ad firm Starcom MediaVest.

The Social TV Lab findings claim that 40% of Twitter conversations during sport and reality TV programming relates directly to the show or ad content.

It also said that more TV viewers actively tweet about the programme they are viewing than browse related posts on the microblogging network.

“Only one quarter of tweeting occurs during the ad break, and it was highest during reality shows (27%). This supports existing Twitter research that found viewers who are actively engaging in social media while viewing TV are genuinely paying attention to both screens as TV show tune away is less and ad recall was higher for TV Twitter multitaskers,” according to the study.

Starcom MediaVest CEO Laura Desmond said: “TV has become a social, multiscreen experience. At the same time, Twitter, in a very short period of time, has gone from experimental to essential and there’s no better place for marketers who want to reach both influencers and their followers during the biggest live, public and conversational moments.”