A new study by Nielsen shows, unsurprisingly, that most Twitter TV-related traffic takes place during live airing windows, but that there’s still plenty of social chatter occurring between live TV events.
Nielsen said a study that analyzed Twitter TV activity around 72 weekly broadcast and cable shows in August and September showed that 68% of tweets took place during the live airing window (three hours before through three hours after). Tweets during that window was highest (70%) for reality shows, versus 64% for dramas and 55% for comedy shows.
Nielsen, which conducted the study to shed more light on how Twitter can boost engagement with TV viewers, noted that a higher level of Twitter TV activity during the live window tends to have a spillover, translating to increased levels of social chatter during the three following days.
So, what are people tweeting about between these live airings? According to Nielsen, 46% ties into viewing of previously aired episodes accessed online, via the DVR, VOD or through on-air repeats; while 36% relates to general viewer excitement about the show or an upcoming episode. Just 13% of the this between-live Twitter TV action has to do with discussions about show stars, and 4% comes from promos about a show that appeared online or on TV.
“In short, social TV happens around the clock,” Nielsen concluded. “So even though live airings account for the lion’s share of weekly Twitter TV activity, networks and agencies now have the opportunity to explore how and why audiences engage on Twitter between live airings.”
This “around-the-clock conversation can open new doors for networks, agencies, and advertisers” as they look to maximize “earned media” and build audiences, Nielsen said.
In partnership with the social network, Nielsen posts Twitter TV Ratings based on four metrics: tweets ascribed to a linear TV episode, unique Twitter accounts that have sent at least on tweet ascribed to a specific TV episode, impressions and unique audience. The weekly top 10 is broken down by series and specials and sports events, as is the daily top five.
