Social Buzz Predicts Series Renewals

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Media agency Magna Global, working with emotional response data from research company Canvs, has created a model that predicts which new TV series are likely to be renewed.

On the list for a second season were Fox’s Scream Queens, ABC’s Quantico and The Muppets, CBS’ Supergirl, and NBC’s Blindspot (NBC has already announced that it is picking up season 2 of Blindspot).

Canvs uses Nielsen social data to measure the emotions registered in social media activity about shows. Magna used a regression model built on program characteristics including the night of the week and the gender of the main character during the 2014-15 season. Its accuracy level in predicting renewal or cancellation was 58%.

Integrating Canvs’ Twitter data that included categories such as “loved,” “exciting,” “funny” or “crazy,” the accuracy level rose to 83%, the company said.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.