Nielsen links Twitter TV activity with engagement levels

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According to research by Nielsen, activity on Twitter surrounding television shows can be an indicator of the engagement of viewers. By analyzing minute-by-minute activity on Twitter associated with several prime television shows, and separately monitoring the brain activity, via Nielsen Neuro, of 300 or so viewers of those programs, Nielsen was able to show a correlation between Twitter conversations and high enagement.

The study identified specific neurometrics associated with Twitter TV activity, namely emotion, memory and attention.

“This finding is notable for three reasons,” says Nielsen. “First, the fact that Twitter TV activity is correlated with the combination of these three neurometrics signals that program content is engaging viewers through multiple psychological processes. Second, other Nielsen Neuro research has shown that the combination of these same key neurometrics is correlated with sales outcomes in ad testing. Third, Nielsen TV Brand Effect research has also shown that ads perform better on memorability in TV programs with high program engagement. Combined, these findings suggest that advertising in highly social programs could be an opportunity to drive both ad memorability and sales outcomes”.

These new findings reflect those of research carried out by SocialGuide and Nielsen in 2013 into TV ratings. The research found that, for premiere episodes, an 8.5% increase in Twitter volume is linked to a 1% increase in TV program ratings among 18-34 years old. Meanwhile, among older demographics 35-49 years old, a 14% increase in Twitter volume was linked with a 1% increase in ratings.

“We expected to see a correlation between Twitter and TV ratings, but this study quantifies the strength of that relationship,” said Andrew Somosi , CEO of SocialGuide. “We see three key factors. While prior year rating accounts for the lion’s share of the variability in TV ratings, Twitter’s presence as a top three influencer tells us that Tweeting about live TV is likely a significant indicator of program engagement.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristina Knight-1
Kristina Knight, Journalist , BA
Content Writer & Editor
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Kristina Knight is a freelance writer with more than 15 years of experience writing on varied topics. Kristina’s focus for the past 10 years has been the small business, online marketing, and banking sectors, however, she keeps things interesting by writing about her experiences as an adoptive mom, parenting, and education issues. Kristina’s work has appeared with BizReport.com, NBC News, Soaps.com, DisasterNewsNetwork, and many more publications.