Live from OMMA Video, Viacom Media Networks is unveiling its findings from “When Networks Network: TV Gets Social” -- some new multi-country research on the interplay between TV and
social media.
“The study uncovered three chief types motivations behind TV-related social media activities,” according to Stuart Schneiderman, VP of strategic insights and research
at Viacom Media Networks. They include functional (getting show schedules and news); communal (branding oneself online and connecting with others); and playful (gaming and contests) -- with functional
motivations trumping the others, according to Schneiderman.
Most of all, viewers want TV shows and networks to fulfill their “functional motivations,” in the words of Schneiderman.
“They expect air dates and times, episode recaps and character bios.”
As one 23-year-old respondent told Schneiderman and his research partners: “Daniel Tosh is the one guy
that knows how to use social media well. He will throw a joke in a post that includes the date and time his show is on so I won’t miss it.”
“Respondents also admitted that
they unfriended or unfollowed brands that were redundant, or posted too often,” Schneiderman notes. “And since social media is a place for emotion and fun, we found that over-selling was
another big sin.”
The full findings from the study can be found here.