There’s no doubt that TV and social media have become hot companions. In fact, there’s a whole sub-category of media hype that’s been coined to describe it: “Second
screens.” Needless to say, TV has been the first screen, while PCs, tablets and handhelds are all deemed, well, No. 2. Now, Madison Square Garden Co.’s Fuse network wants to flip the
model, launching what it claims is the first TV shows inspired by social media content vs. the other way around. The new show, dubbed “Trending 10,” not surprisingly, is being done in
collaboration with Twitter, and will be produced based on real-time spokes emanating from the Twittersphere.
But maybe it’s not fair to utilize a screens hierarchy
in this case, because it’s more like a the ultimate blending of the two. Or to paraphrase the old Reese’s peanut butter cup ads, “You got social media in my TV show.”
“You got TV in my social media feeds.”
Actually, Joe Marchese says that was intentional. “What we’re doing is closing the loop between
traditional television and digital media,” says Marchese, who is senior vice president-marketing and digital at Fuse Networks, and was a key player in the development of the new show, as well as
other digital loop-closers, such as Fuse’s channel on YouTube. In all those cases, Marchese says, the goal isn’t simply to extend TV into digital -- or vice versa -- but to find ways of
using each medium and platform to complement what Fuse represents to its viewers/users: You know, context. Specifically, context about music.
And while Reese’s
will not be sponsoring the new countdown show, which airs weeknights at 7:30, another confection will: Trident gum.