Tag: NBC

NBCUniversal: Social Media Does Not Yet Boost TV Viewership

Posted on by Lab Team

According to new research coming out of NBCUniversal, social media is not yet a “game changer” in influencing television viewing – according to traditional Nielsen metrics. NBCUniversal used its Sochi Winter Olympics data on Comcast for the study, with over 1,500 hours of coverage to sit through across both broadcast and cable television, Internet, and mobile. According to NBCU, the social media activity around the Olympic coverage paled in comparison  those who tuned in for regular prime-time coverage – on Twitter, there were 10.6m Olympic-related messages and 23m people saw tweets about the Olympics, while on Facebook 20m people posted, commented, shared, or liked something related to the Olympics, reaching a total of 150m users. Although those numbers are not stellar for such a huge, worldwide event, many have also cautioned that the data were skewed by a mass audience tuning in to the sporting event irrespective of social media input, and that for more niche dramas (like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones) social media still plays a big role. 

Airbnb Nails Sochi Realtime Marketing

Posted on by Lab Team

Real-time marketing is often hit or miss; Oreo was successful at hitting the nail on the head last Super Bowl, but since then many have tried and, in some cases, embarrassingly failed. Airbnb has another success story in this Olympic news cycle, after tweeting at reporters who were complaining about their accommodations at Sochi. Utilizing the now-trending #SochiProblems hashtag, they referred struggling reporters to their listings, complete with embedded pictures and enticing descriptions. The campaign has taken off, and it’s now progressed to brazenly replying to reporters who are tweeting their problems. It’s taking a problem and offering a creative, witty solution, and that type of work always sticks. 

Faecbook & NBC Reach Olympics Agreement

Posted on by Lab Team

Facebook and NBC have agreed to share their content – on TV and online – during NBC’s live coverage of the Olympic Games next month. Facebook and Instagram posts will be included in live TV, while NBC will post original and exclusive TV content to the social network. As well, NBC commentators will answer user questions in real time online. It mirrors Facebook’s partnership with Fox Sports, who in the past agreed to partner with Facebook for the NFL and college football seasons. The two deals – one on the heels of the other – point to a new way of doing business for the TV and Internet-based content industries, one that relies on complete unification across the mediums available to them. As TV continues to try and remain relevant in the era of cordcutting, moving online in this way may represent a viable solution to an increasingly challenging problem. 

Spotify Runs TV Ads

Posted on by Lab Team

Spotify is finally ready to enter the world of mainstream advertising, airing ads during NBC’s The Voice in an effort to expand on its 6 million paying subscribers.  These 6 million put Spotify handily ahead of competitors like Rdio and MOG, but the future of the streaming model supporting these services is far from perfect, and music industry criticism of the financial repercussions of a subscription model could result in more than just grumbling in coming years.  The old rumor that Spotify aims to become an all-in-one destination for all forms of media online – one to compete with Netflix and Hulu – has gained new breath in light of this ad push.  Could Spotify be gearing up to take new ground, and potentially silence its most vocal critics by balancing its financial woes in the process?