10/25/11
In today’s world of TV overload, Americans now get their “boob tube” fix in a variety of ways while at home. This changes the TV advertiser landscape as consumers increasingly view shows through time-shifted recordings, mobile apps, online players and internet-connected TVs.
Interestingly enough, recent Nielsen reports revealed the majority of TV viewership is still done in the home. That daily American addiction is still gobbling up, on average four to five hours, each day from our households. It is our rite of relaxation, when viewers worldwide can worship at the altar of pop culture, news, and infomercials and more and just numb out. Viewers now have more options and can watch their favorite shows whenever they feel like it. This is keeping overall at home viewership numbers up. What has changed dramatically, is that viewers are more engaged with their programs. Nielsen recently reported, “42 percent of tablet and smartphone users visit sites like Facebook and Twitter while sitting in front of the telly.”
Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live,” exemplifies this new trend of direct digital audience interaction for non-teenage demos. Andy Cohen, father of the Real Housewives shows, and host of “Watch What Happens Live”, where the networks reality shows are re-capped for the week by their stars or B-list celebrities , now takes 75% of the in-show audience questions from tweets. Viewers who want more, can get more of the inside scoops, and have more to gossip about. This engages the audience, and makes them feel like they’re part of the action. Recurring guest Jay Mohr, a comedian, blogs about each episode, and engages on-line ,the very same viewers who watch “Real Housewives of OC/NYC/ATL.” Crazy reality TV stars like Teresa Giudice, from Real Housewives of New Jersey, duke it out with Caroline Manzo.
It is all irrelevant, mind numbing drivel, which we women and our gay male friends, can’t wait to talk about over the water cooler, tweet or post online just what we think about it. This is the new frontier for direct response television, by which social media integrates viewers into the conversation in real time on live national television. Owners of smart phones and tablets are known for sitting in front of the tube and surfing the web, either interacting with the cast of their favorite show or checking their email during commercials. The real question now for advertisers is how to convert those viewers who’ve been recycled into followers and friends into paying customers. Just how we harness all of that interaction into sales is continually evolving.
