It is now conversations on social media that are driving viewers back to television in the United Kingdom. Must-see TV is driving consumers back towards planning evenings around the linear TV schedule, despite the availability and convenience offered by video on demand services.
The data from CCS – media agency Carat’s consumer research and insight tool that surveys 11,000 British consumers – has found that 35 per cent of people are now actively planning their evenings around the TV schedule. This is 5 million more people than 4 years ago when TV on Demand began to explode.
This behavioural change is being fuelled by social media use and the viewers’ enjoyment of discussing the latest appointment-to-view (APT) TV shows, such as Breaking Bad, while the show is airing – not in the week afterwards. CCS found that 57 per cent of people are second screening in some way while watching linear TV, and that 33 per cent are commenting on Facebook or Twitter about what they’re watching during the show.
The findings also show that social media has transformed how people choose what to watch. Some 20 per cent of people say that their friends and family have had a big influence on their TV viewing – compared to only 5 per cent in 2010.
Steven Ballinger, Head of Media Investment – Amplifi @ Carat, said: “TV on Command is all about the reinvention of the water cooler moment - the “real time water cooler moment”. The mix of Appointment to View (APT) programming and social media means that people are moving from passive to active viewing. Being part of the conversation during the latest battle in Game of Thrones or a terrible audition in BGT with friends and strangers hugely enhances the experience for the consumer.
“This drives huge opportunities advertisers. It turns their advertising from a monologue to a dialogue. Using second screen apps such as AdSync or Shazam, which allows the user to access more content, creates more dwell time for consumers with the brand. It also helps to drive the consumer closer to the point of purchase. Something advertisers have been trying for a while with more traditional TV advertising methods.”
Lucy Moore, Associate Director, Carat said: “In a world of media convergence CCS allows us to understand the inter-relationships between consumers and the different media they use, ensure the consumer is always at the heart of the eco-systems we create.”
