NBC's Olympics coverage and ABC's “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” have attracted more viewers to their websites than any other recent television programming. The website for CBS's “Big Brother,”
however, has attracted the highest percentage of its television viewers with Internet access. Among cable programming, the Food Network's “Emeril Live” and ESPN's “SportsCenter” and NFL football
coverage have been among the leading shows in terms of both total viewer website hits and the percentage of Internet-enabled viewers accessing the network's associated website. These findings, from
a new study jointly conducted by Burke, Inc. and NFO Interactive, suggest that traditional television dramas and situation comedies are going to have to creatively develop Internet content to keep
sponsors because advertisers increasingly seek website tie-ins. The study, ”Connecting With Viewers: TV Programs and Their Websites,” surveyed 8,605 NFO Interactive panelists to discover more about
the evolving relationship between television and the Internet. A total of 1,711 individuals, or 20% of those surveyed, indicated that they had watched “Big Brother” in the three months prior to the
survey. Of these, 811, or 47%, indicated that they had also been to CBS's “Big Brother” website. This made the program the TV-Website “linkage” or “attach rate” champion for the time period covered in
the survey. Other programs, including CBS's “Survivor” as well as the Olympics and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” actually drew more people to their websites than “Big Brother.” Because the
overall base of viewers of these programs was greater, however, “Big Brother” was by far the leader in terms of attracting a high percentage of Internet-enabled viewers to its website. In addition
to reality and game shows, like “Big Brother,” “Survivor,” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” programs generating a high percentage of website viewers tended to be sporting events and
“do-it-yourself” cooking programs, including “Emeril Live” and “Discovery Daytime,” which put recipes on their websites. Dramas and situation comedies, in general, did not have high percentages of
viewers going to their websites. The drama website drawing the highest percentage of Internet-enabled viewers was the site for HBO's “The Sopranos,” which is heavily promoted before and after each
episode and during other HBO program breaks. “The Sopranos” site features trivia games and giveaways, fan chats and discussion boards, an interactive video-based family tree, and a Web-only story line
from the viewpoint of fictional FBI agents. “Traditional television programs need to be creative in order to draw viewers to their Web sites,” said Tim Washer, VP of media and telecom practice for
NFO Interactive. “As advertisers increasingly look for website tie-ins to accompany traditional television commercials, programs that fail to develop active fan communities on the Web might find
themselves lacking such sponsorships.”
