TDG: 73% social network users engage with TV-related content
July 18, 2019
Research from The Diffusion Group (TDG) finds that 73 per cent of social network users engage with TV-related content on the sites. According to TDG’s report, The Ascent of the Social TV Engagers, 43 per cent of social network users interact with humour about a show via mashups and memes.
“There is a separate universe of online multimedia content that orbits TV shows,” notes Michael Greeson, President of TDG and Senior Vice President of Screen Engine-ASI. “A majority of TV viewers no longer simply watch a show, but also view ‘the making of’ specials, read spoilers, chase plot theories, follow actors on social media, and share comments (especially jokes) about the show.”
TDG’s research shows that, after humour, users are most likely to engage with recaps (39 per cent), animated GIFs (38 per cent), behind-the-scenes footage (31 per cent), and content from actors/actresses (27 per cent). Notably, this does not include the episodes or clips of the shows themselves, which are often watched on social media as well.
“Social media is a complex ecosystem where users have organically developed their own visual language,” advises Lauren Kozak, TDG Senior Advisor in social media strategy and author of the new report. “Television (and other fandoms) give disparate users common ground through which to bond. Shared visual languages, like memes, provide a unifying framework for humour.”