Google: Paid Search Drives TV Tune In

Google paid search Search for your TV show using Google? The big Internet media company would like you to know that TV networks and programmers get more bang for their buck when adding in paid search advertising.

Pure organic search is where viewers are just voluntarily looking for keywords--or in this case, names of TV shows--on their own. Google says that when TV programmers pay for a search ad link--which usually appears above the organic results, or to the right of the organic results--there is a 25% increase in the likelihood that viewers will tune in to a new show. Google says there is a 20% lift for any existing show.

Program awareness levels also shot up--57%, according to the survey. In conjunction with this, Google said there is a 45% decline in awareness when it comes to those time-slot competitors. In this awareness result, respondents were first asked to search--or query-- a single network. After this, they were asked the question: "When you think about TV, what's the first show that comes to mind?"

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Currently, a search for ABC's upcoming "Dancing with the Stars" has ABC is running a paid search link. Google says, however, that this was not part of the survey that was completed last quarter among 12,000 respondents and looks at a broad range of broadcast and cable shows. Google partnered with research company Ipsos on the study.

Adam Stewart, industry director of media and entertainment for Google, says: "What we have here is [positive results in how] paid search impacts whether to view content."

In addition, Stewart says that when it comes to networks' related branded sites there is a 12% lift when it comes to new shows, and a 49% hike on existing shows, when TV programmers place paid search ads.

Although Google has a separate deal with Dish Network as well as other cable operators, when it comes to set-top box data of actual viewing of TV shows, Stewart notes this was not part of its survey.

1 comment about "Google: Paid Search Drives TV Tune In".
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  1. John Grono from GAP Research, February 12, 2009 at 9:06 a.m.

    Is there something odd about this?

    A person types a programme name into Google Search, yet "Program awareness levels also shot up--57%". If the person typed the programme name in ... aren't they already aware irrespective of whether the results appeared in 'paid' or 'organic'? Did they somehow become 'unaware' once they typed it allowing awareness to "shoot up"?

    Can someone please explain how I have misread/misinterpreted this?

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