Is Live Tweeting Saving Appointment Viewing

By: Dominic Jones

Building of what was discussed in lecture, I will be discussing the phenomenon of live tweeting.  The concept of appointment viewing was invented by the TV networks to get people to tune into certain TV shows because everyone will be talking about it the next day.  This was done to combat the VCR and early versions of delayed viewing.  Today, TV audiences are more fragmented then ever thanks to the emergence of cable channels like HBO and AMC as well as internet platforms like Netflix and Hulu, and the proliferation of DVRs.  

Now, TV shows are trying to get audiences to tune in during the first airing of an episode through live tweeting.  We discussed in seminar the impact of Twitter on live events like Eurovision, but what about narrative shows.  Unlike singing competitions and sporting events, there is no need any more to tune in live.  Shows are now combating this by having the shows stars and creative teams tweet their reactions to episodes and interact with fans on Twitter while the episode is airing.

Deadline ran a story back in 2014 about this very phenomenon in which they discussed the benefits of this. Writer David Bloom wrote,

But there’s something special about getting the show’s team in a room, especially for scripted programs such as Scorpion that otherwise might not get watched until hours or days after their broadcast. Unlike specials, sports and reality competitions, which pretty much need to be watched in the moment, scripted shows can easily end up on the DVR, VOD or Hulu for consumption days later. Live tweeting pulls the fans back into the moment, something that’s good for advertisers, good for ratings and good for the show.

“The momentum from a live tweet has a crazy social domino effect and the buzz builds,” says Marc Karzen, CEO of RelishMix, the social-media consulting firm advising Scorpion. “The conversation in the room from live tweets take on a bigger dimension with writers posting lines and actors challenging fans.”

We live in a celebrity culture where people feel they have greater access to celebrities through social media.  By having telling people they will have a chance to interact with their favorite stars at a certain time seems like a good way to get people to tune it.  People will feel like they have to watch the show while it airs to both avoid spoilers and to know what the star is talking about (it would be hard to interact with the stars during the broadcast when you don't know what they are talking about).

While many networks still use archaic ways are determining viewership of TV shows, Live Tweeting seem to be a way to boost those numbers by encouraging people to tune in.  It can also serve as a means of demonstrating other forms of engagement that producers could show to networks to help save a show that is struggling in the traditional ratings.