The GFM Blog first reviewed the growing synergies between television and social media in our June 17, 2011 blog, “The Voice of Television” that explored how NBC’s “The Voice” was pioneering new ground in social media. Eighteen months later, Nielsen has published a study noting how social media is engaging television audiences in new ways, reinforcing the value of “appointment television” and creating communities of television watchers via the Internet.
Again, The Voice is a strong example of this trend, bridging broadcast and the Internet with a show-specific Twitter handle (@NBCTheVoice), episode-specific hashtags (#VoiceTop6) and reality TV voting tied to iTunes. Social TV is reinvigorating broadcast television.
Check out NPR’s interview earlier today with Deirdre Bannon of Neilsen about this new “online water cooler.”
