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Wetpaint Tracks Online Interest in TV

The most engaged TV viewers spend up to five hours a week discussing a single episode of a favorite series, say researchers. Now Web service Wetpaint has launched a measurement system that tracks that level of fan interest. Called TV Fandex, the service measures "fan engagement" of popular programs on Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Wetpaint's network of 1.5 million user-created fan sites.

The first week of public Fandex rankings show HBO's "True Blood" receiving the heaviest online engagement, followed by CBS' "NCIS," Fox's "House," Showtime's "Weeds" and Fox's canceled "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." Fandex.com plans to release weekly Top 100 rankings.

There are existing ways to measure a brand's online popularity, including BuzzMetrics from Nielsen, but Fandex is billed as the first system built specifically around providing an equal comparison of TV series interest among social media networks. "Fans now have the tools to connect and evangelize, and they are using them with gusto," says Wetpaint CEO Ben Elowitz. Lately, broadcasters have seemed more willing to extend struggling shows that have heavy online fan interest. For instance, NBC's "Chuck" and Fox's "Dollhouse" received renewals after demonstrations of intense fan appreciation.

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