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Cannes, France
www.mipworld.com
All rights reserved
January 8, 2013
10 trends for social TV 2013
The new shows the world will
be talking about
By TheWitspottER, TheWit (Switzerland)
2. All rights reserved
Which TV premieres around the world are generating the most social media buzz ?
The answer is given in the 10 Social TV Trends examined in this exclusive report.
The quantitative results come from the witspottER which measures in real time social media
activity around TV shows aired around the world, as spotted and listed in TheWit FreshTV
database.
The qualitative analysis is based on the expertise of TheWit's team in content trends.
For this special report we have isolated the social media activity related to TV premieres during the most
recent time period (September 1 – December 16, 2012).
As TheWit mission is to discover new content with international potential, social events that happen to be on
tv (news, politics, sports, returning awards shows…) have not been taken into account for this report.
Foreword
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Social TV is…
Youth TV
Music TV
Participation TV
Event TV
Live TV
Let’s have a look !
What is social TV in 2013?
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# The 20 most social TV premieres
# The top 20 new TV shows that keep fans engaged
# The Voice is the #1 social TV format
# Talent Shows are the social TV stars
# Reality soaps draw loyal followers
# Awards shows are tailored for social TV buzz
# Event TV makes people talk
# Scripted Series are more liked but less talked about
# Latinos are the biggest social TV commentators
# The most anticipated TV show of 2013
Table of contents
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WitER Ranking Sept- Dec 2012
Rank Title Social media comments
1 La Voz / Spain 268 978
2 Star Academy / France 220 935
3 The Only Way Is Essex Live /UK 178 689
4 The Voice Brasil / Brazil 147 501
5 Drugs Live: The Ecstasy Trial / UK 130 432
6 Catfish: The TV Show / USA 110 782
7 Liz & Dick / USA 90 856
8 Derren Brown: Apocalypse / UK 87 328
9 The Plane Crash / UK 74 874
10 The McFly Show / UK 70 830
11 Steel Magnolias / USA 64 077
12 The Valleys / UK 61 916
13 Salve Jorge / Brazil 58 310
14 Emmerdale Live / UK 57 878
15 Gandía Shore / Spain 47 456
16 Restore the Shore / USA 47 075
17 La Voz… Colombia / Colombia 46 423
18 Vértigo / Chile 45 975
19 Apollo Live / USA 41 567
20 Neox Fan Awards / Spain 41 127
The 20 most social TV premieres
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WitER Index Sept- Dec 2012
Rank Title WitER Index*
1 Star Academy / France 92,9
2 Absolute Mehrheit / Germany 87,3
3 The Only Way Is Essex Live/UK 62,7
4 Drugs Live: The Ecstasy Trial / UK 45,7
5 Catfish: The TV Show / USA 40,4
6 Liz & Dick / USA 33,1
7 Derren Brown: Apocalypse / UK 30,6
8 Knæk Cancer Live! / Denmark 28,0
9 The Plane Crash / UK 27,3
10 The McFly Show / UK 24,8
11 Steel Magnolias / USA 23,4
12 X Factor / Sweden 22,8
13 The Valleys / UK 21,7
14 Emmerdale Live / UK 20,3
15 La Voz / Spain 20,0
16 Servizio Pubblico / Italy 18,1
17 Restore the Shore / USA 17,2
18 Apollo Live / USA 15,1
19 Hip Hop Awards / Italy 15,1
20 Enbuske & Linnanahde Crew / Finland 14
The 20 most social TV premieres
* WitER Index:
By weighing the number of comments around each
premiere by the national average of comments around
all premieres over the same period, we were able to
discover the local social TV hits, i.e. shows ranking far
above the national average.
In Germany Pro7’s interactive political talk
show Absolute Mehrheit (Absolute Majority)
fronted by a superstar TV personality
overperformed in a not so SocialTV oriented
country.
La7’s new version of political talk show
Servizio Pubblico hosted by the most famous
journalist of the country, made Italian viewers
talk more than usual.
News talk show Enbuske & Linnanahde Crew,
hosted by two popular journalists, is the only
Finnish premiere which attracted attention
on Twitter : it logically stands out from the
national average.
In the UK, ITV1’s variety special hosted by pop
band McFly was lifted by the boys’ solid fan
base.
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WitER Matrix Sept- Dec 2012
The new TV shows that keep fans engaged
Hot Social Premiere
Cold Social Premiere
Strong Fan Growth
Weak Fan Growth
Slow Growth
(fans)
Social Hits
Appointment TV, lasting fan
engagement
Cult/Niche shows
Generally positive reviews,
solid fan base
« Anti-social » shows
Buzz effect
Controversial, trash, love-to-
hate
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“People Talking About This” (Facebook - Sept- Dec 2012)
The top 20 new shows that keep viewers engaged
To get lots of comments, positive, negative, neutral,
sarcastic, insane…at launch on Twitter is one thing.
But to build a big and loyal fanbase on the official
Facebook page and keep fans active one month
after debut is a stronger sign of viewers engagement
with a tv property.
That’s what the Facebook “people talking about this”
(PTAT) is about.: this indicator sums the number of all
possible interactions on the Facebook page of a
show over the last 7 days: comments, shares, likes,
etc.
With these metrics most new tv shows suffer a
natural erosion. But some other shows are able to
raise the number of fans socially active. Which could
indicate that the tv show does the job it is supposed
to do: get a community glued to a screen.
This ranking shows the strongest progressions of
PTAT after one month on air (+31 days) , regardless
of the country’s population.
The Growth Index is calculated as such:
- Increase in PTAT : from 1 day after premiere to 31
days after premiere
- Weighed by country population
Rank Title
Growth
Index
PTAT +31
1 Vain elämää (The Best Singers) / Finland 44,7 24 320
2 Unité 9 / French-speaking Canada 15,9 14 098
3 X Factor / Sweden 14,1 37 825
4 La Voz… Colombia / Colombia 8,4 48 252
5 Belgium's Got Talent / Belgium South 6,4 2 987
6 The Voice Brasil / Brazil 5,9 128 169
7 New Zealand's Got Talent / New Zealand 5,8 3 234
8 How We Invented The World / WW 4,9 34 238
9 The Fear / Ireland 4,9 2 586
10 Asbjørn Brekke-show / Norway 4,3 11 293
11 Høflighed På 100 Dage / Denmark 4,2 2 747
12 La Voz / Spain 4,1 23 113
13 Zulufonen Live / Denmark 4,0 2 253
14 Braunschlag / Austria 3,2 3 575
15 Vértigo / Chile 3,1 5 358
16 Dybvaaaaad / Denmark 2,2 1 204
17 De Slimste Mens ter Wereld / Belgium North 2,0 2 106
18 Les Marseillais à Miami / France 1,7 11 857
19 Niet Tevreden Stem Terug / Belgium North 1,6 1 093
20 Rafael Orozco, el ídolo / Colombia 1,6 8 634
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The Voice is the #1 social TV format
In 2012, Talpa’s talent show format The Voice confirmed its ability to get huge
social media buzz in each new market where it premiered.
The Voice social TV factors:
#young target
#music
#many characters (contestants and judges), each with their own fan base
#competition
#participation
#anticipated international brand
#active social strategy on air and off air.
The most social Voices:
In January 2013 The Voice is premiering in German speaking Switzerland (SRF1) and
French Speaking Canada (TVA).
In Middle East, The Voice
In Spain, on Telecinco, La Voz In Brazil, on Globo, The Voice Brasil In Colombia, on Caracol, La Voz
Colombia
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Talent shows are the social TV stars
Talent shows (including The Voice) are the most watched entertainment shows
on TV around the world and the safest bet for TV stardom. The genre is
tailored for social media engagement :
#mostly music
#mostly young target
#competing contestants supported/trashed by fans and foes
#many live episodes generating instant response
#on air call to interaction and participation
#all factors creating a TV and social event
In
FremantleMedia’s hit formats Got Talent and X Factor achieved very good social
performances in their latest territories:
In New Zealand on TV One In Belgium South on RTL TVI In Belgium North on VTM X Factor (TV4): most social
Swedish premiere of the year
In France, singing competition brand Star Academy (Endemol) was back
on air after a 5-year hiatus, beating previous social tv records for a talent
show premiere in this market.
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Reality soaps draw loyal followers
Serialized reality series (contrived, constructed, semi- to almost fully
scripted…) following the lives of communities of out-of-the-ordinary people or
celebrities in a peculiar situation or dramatic phase get a guaranteed level of
social TV buzz:
#young target
#serialization, huge volume of hours build huge accumulated following
#ensemble cast each with their own fan/hate base
#colorful and controversial characters stimulating strong response
#sometimes a call to participation and voting
The most social premieres:
In the UK a Live episode of
constructed reality series
TOWIE….was slammed by
viewers.
In the UK on MTV, The Valleys
explore the nights of Wales
In the USA on E! Married to
Jonas mobilized the fans of
former teen icon Kevin Jonas
MTV’s Gandía Shore, local version
of Jersey Shore was the 2nd most
commented Spanish premiere of
2012.
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Awards shows are tailored for social TV buzz
From a social media point of view, televised awards shows (Grammys, MTV
Awards…) are talent shows on steroids :
#bigger stars line up, more fans to add
#immediately decisive competition polarizing viewers
#sometimes call for online voting
#lots of music
#live shared experience generating socially shared reaction
#for one night a year only: must watch, must talk
The creation of a brand new awards show can be a smart move for a TV channel that wants to
generate buzz and raise awareness. As show these examples of new awards ceremonies :
…
In Spain Neox Fan Awards based on
viewers vote ranked as the third most
social premiere of the year in Spain.
.
In Italy MTV created its own local Hip
Hop Awards based on online voting
.
In Mexico Televisa’s cable channel
Bandamax launched Premios
Bandamax for Mexican music bands
.
.
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Event TV makes viewers talk
What’s a TV event for social media users ?
#for one night only
#everybody’s watching, everybody’s talking
#trash TV, crash TV, TV to trash, TV to share
#sensational/outrageous/shocking…
#a simple game: like vs unlike
#sometimes live: instant response needed
The 4 most social TV events of Sept-Dec 12 :
In the UK on Channel 4 (then in the
US on Discovery) the documentary
The Plane Crash really crashed a
real Boeing 727 to study the
phenomenon in real-time.
In the UK on Channel 4, controversial
2-part experiment Drugs Live followed
a group of volunteers testing ecstasy.
.
In the USA TV movie starring tabloid
heroine Lindsay Lohan Liz & Dick
had to be watched and trashed.
.
In the UK on Channel 4, mentalist
Derren Brown staged a fake
Apocalypse and got a real social hit.
.
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Sept- Dec 2012
Top Genres on Facebook
Average Likes +31* Average PTAT +31*
Scripted 25 838 3 406
Entertainment 18 839 4 579
Talk shows 12 165 3 376
Game shows 6 131 890
Factual 3 823 952
Average 14 657 2 630
Scripted series are more liked but less talked about
Among all the new TV shows, fiction is the genre which gathers the highest
number of likes on official Facebook pages.
But when it comes to being more active on Facebook, new entertainment shows
count more “people talking about this” than scripted shows.
*Facebook Likes, as
measured 31 days after
the premiere of each
new show of the genre
over the period.
* Facebook PTAT (People
Talking About This), as
measured 31 days after
the premiere of each
new show of the genre
over the period. (value of
the last 7 days).
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Scripted series: don’t talk, just watch
Scripted shows are less and less about appointment TV, more and more about
catch-up TV, and they request more viewing attention than reality shows. But
they sometimes benefit from :
#ensemble casts with potential multiple fan bases
#big stars attached with pre-existing fanship
#highly promoted tv premieres building anticipation
From Brazil, Salve Jorge on Globo ranks as the most social scripted series
premiere of the period, benefiting from its controversial subject (religion in
Brazil).
In Spain, Fenómenos on Antena 3, benefited from its cast of beloved TV stars
and ranks as the most social scripted premiere of the period in Europe.
In the US Nashville on ABC ranks as the most anticipated and commented US
premiere of the season.
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Latinos are the biggest social TV commentators
4 Latin countries are in the Top 5 of the most active social TV users
Average number of social media comments per premiere (Sept – Dec 2012)
Colombia
Brazil
Spain
Chile
UK
USA
New Zealand
Australia
Mexico
France
Italy
Argentina
Belgium
(North)
Canada
(French)
Belgium
(South)
Austria
Holland
Sweden
Ireland
Germany
Norway
Denmark
Finland
Switzerland
Portugal
Canada
(English)
EUROPE
NORTH
AMERICA
OCEANIA
Venezuela
SOUTH
AMERICA
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The most anticipated new show of 2013
German scripted reality series Köln 50667, launched January 7, 2013 on
RTL2 was hugely anticipated on Facebook:
#a spin off of Berlin Day & Night, the most social German TV show ever
#a scripted reality soap: ensemble cast with preexisting fan base
#a young target
#a cross media format: fictional characters live on Facebook with fans as friends.
Köln 50667 became the world’s most anticipated new show of 2013 on Facebook, with over 322,000 Likes one day
before premiere (the equivalent of US series Revolution and Nashville Facebook fans before premiere altogether).
The feedback during tv premiere was mixed, viewers comparing the spin-off to Berlin Tag & Nacht.
The live coverage was exceptionally low on Twitter even by German standards, but fans massively used Facebook
(3,693 comments !). What’s more, the page gained 20,000 additional Likes on the day of its premiere. A story to be
followed…
Since late 2011 Berlin Tag & Nacht is a German social tv phenomenon
and a best practice case study.
For instance: on 16 November 2012, fans could spend the night with
their heroes in a unique triple screen experience: watch the cult movie
Dirty Dancing on TV / watch the fictional characters watch
simultaneously the same movie in a live online episode / interact with
them on Facebook…even choose their tv dinner !
6 weeks before the TV premiere, the spin off series Köln 50667 created its
Facebook page where the main new fictional character started to post
status updates.
Thanks to a very effective cross-promotion with Berlin Tag & Nacht page, it
was an instant success: 150,000 Likes in one day!
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Jan 7
Dec 26
348,123
328,985
308,703
PTAT
08/01: 60,048
Berlin TN (08/01): 276,218
Likes
Before (07/01): 328,985
After (08/01): 348,123
The most anticipated premiere of 2013 in numbers
76.5%
13%
10.4%
The 3 most Liked comments during premiere:
Jan 8
76.5% of the comments
are in response to a
“picture” post
Activity around premiere
Between 12.00pm and 01.00am:
5 posts from the production
2,838 Comments in response
2,173 Likes in response
801 comments « off the wall »
1 am
12 pm
Facebook Likes evolution
Köln 50667 : strong on Facebook
This series is just boring
Berlin Tag und Nacht is better
Hey people, what were you expecting from the first episode? It’s clearly
not 100% convincing, and not much happened. But after all Berlin Tag
& Nacht also started small and got better ratings afterwards because it
became more interesting. We should wait and see what the next
episodes bring. I think that in half a year everybody will love it. Wait and
see! ;))
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Premiere
388 tweets during premiere, low even by German standards.
34.5% of tweets were Retweets
The most active user (after fan page @Koln50667TV) sent 13 tweets
The most « popular » Twitter user has 48,771 followers (online portal Der Westen) and sent 3 tweets
Users tweeted via Web (31.2%), iPhone (29.6%), Android (21.9%) and other platforms (17.3%)
So artificial! Bad actors #köln50667
Isn’t # Köln50667 a bad copy of #Berlin
Day Night? Or am I wrong? #köln50667
What is missing in #köln50667 are the
typical “exotic birds”. But the series is still
“virgin” so don’t worry, that will come.
#köln50667 : quiet on Twitter
I’ll give #köln50667 2 months maximum,
maybe one season.
The most anticipated premiere of 2013 in numbers
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The WitER measures social media comments for TV shows posted on Facebook and Twitter before,
during, and after airing.
The WitER Index weighs the number of social media comments related to a TV airing by the average
number of comments of all TV airings in the same country during the same time period.
A value of "1" equals the country’s average. e.g.: if the national average number of comments for a tv
show is 2,500, a show with 10,000 comments will be valued "4", a show with 100,000 comments will
be valued "40".
Countries covered in this special report include: USA, Canada, Latin America (Argentina, Brazil,
Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Venezuela), UK, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy,
Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Australia, New Zealand.
TV shows covered in this special report include new TV shows premiered between September 1 and
December 16, 2012. New awards shows (first edition in 2012) were included. News, sports and
unscheduled specials were not included.
Methodology
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The Wit - World Information Tracking - mission is to feed its proprietary FreshTV database everyday
with Fresh TV and digital content news, trends, practices from around the world in order to help its
subscribers (broadcasters, producers, advertisers) come up with the TV & digital hits of tomorrow.
To help discover the hottest - and sometimes under the radar - new content, the WitspottER exclusive
analytics track social media activity around TV shows 24/7 from a quantitative and qualitative point of
view.
www.thewit.com
http://twitter.com/TheWitFreshTV
The Wit & Friends on Facebook
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