Welcome to this week’s edition of “Trending Topic Tuesday,” where we share our take on what’s going on in the world and what promotional products would appropriately (or inappropriately) market the subject matter.
Make sure your cell phone and laptop are charged- primetime tv has taken an interactive turn! Sunday night’s launch of “The Glee Project” on Oxygen featured a social media component to engage viewers across the country, and as a result, chatter about the series premiere took Twitter and Facebook by storm. Similarly, the tv show’s parent company, NBC Universal, has launched live stream discussions on other shows, like NBC’s “The Voice,” and Oxygen’s “The World According to Paris.”
“The Glee Project,” which is a competition series to discover “Glee’s” next cast member, aired while a live stream on Facebook afforded viewers the opportunity to interact with contestants. Along the same lines, Paris Hilton responded to audience questions via a live stream on Facebook during commercial breaks on “The World According to Paris.” On NBC’s #1 new show, “The Voice,” Allison Haislip serves as a backstage “V” correspondent, interviewing contestants and communicating questions to them as posed by viewers through Facebook and Twitter.
Based on the popularity of hashtags associated with these socially engaged shows, the relationship between television and other forms of digital media is continuing to evolve, creating a new, interactive way to watch tv. While not all feedback about the merging of these technologies has been positive, the general buzz and curiosity surrounding this push toward social media-charged viewership bodes well for its continued growth.
Next time you notice a hashtag or website url in the corner of your tv screen, join the conversation as millions of other viewers navigate their promotional mice to Twitter, Facebook and other social networks to voice their opinions and converse with fans, hosts, athletes and celebrities.
Dana
Manager – SEM