Tag Archives: tv

Bauer and Top Tourist Parks finalise multimillion-dollar deal

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Bauer Media Group and Top Tourist Parks today finalised a multimillion-dollar, two-year media partnership that is aimed at driving the park group’s strategic marketing objectives.

The new campaign is set to launch in September and draws on research from Roy Morgan and BDO that identified key segments of Top Tourist Parks’ target audience.

“Our research not only highlighted the types of people who currently use cabins, but also the fact that the cabin users of tomorrow are more likely to be camping now, rather than caravanning,” says Grant Manson, the sales director for CDMedia, Bauer’s media agency.

“The range of Bauer brands taking part will see this campaign reach in excess of nine million Australians, including 20% of the existing cabin market. On top of that, the Bauer activity will provide Top Tourist Parks with unprecedented visibility among the target family audience,” he says.

Bauer Trader Media chief executive, Keith Falconer adds, “We have had a strong relationship with Top Tourist Parks for many years, and this marks a new phase in our partnership.

“The marketplace continues to evolve and the board of Top Tourist Parks have again demonstrated their vision by investing in media assets that will allow them to meet the ever changing needs of key stakeholders, consumers and the parks themselves,” he says.

The campaign will run across Bauer Media’s titles including The Australian Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day, Take 5 and Australian House & Garden, as well as the highly targeted audiences attracted to the Discover Downunder TV program – airing on the Nine Network and WIN – and the program’s website, Australian Geographic, Caravan World and Camper Trailer Australia.

“Developing the cross-platform deal incorporating print and digital across the Bauer network and TV was fundamental in delivering a campaign that can be measured against Top Tourist Parks’ objectives,” Falconer says.

The campaign creative will feature an advertorial series, designed by Bauer Media, which will run across all the target titles from September and culminate in an eight-page booklet within The Australian Women’s Weekly.

Top Tourist Parks has also signed up as the Park Partner for the 2014 series of Discover Downunder and will continue its tactical investment with key Bauer Trader brands including Caravan World (including Year Book), Camper Trailer Australia and Turu.com.au.

 

What would Mad Men look like today?

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What would the cigarette-filled, alcohol-soaked offices of the hit TV show Mad Men look like if Donald Draper and his team were working on the biggest advertising accounts today?

To mark the return of the sixth season of the cult series to American television screens last night, stock image website Shutterstock’s creative team came up with what a few key items used by the Madison Avenue team would look like today.

It’s a nifty use of content that rides a pop-culture event while communicating Shutterstock’s role – the images, which are being shared widely and picked up by news outlets (like us) were all made using stock images available on Shutterstock.

Shutterstock says, “In the ’60s, Don was stuck working with paper and easels. It’s a lot to set up and carry around, but with the power of cloud computing, he could make his presentations infinitely more elaborate without physically weighing himself down. Not that he needs any extra help getting clients on board.”

“Sure, typewriters have a nostalgic feel that some writers still love today, but not having to go back over your work with Tipp-Ex alone makes the copywriter’s job infinitely easier. We like to picture Peggy hitting her stride even faster without having to worry about all those crumpled up balls of paper scattered around the trash.”

“Joan has no problem staying on top of everything with the limited tools at her disposal, but replace her notepad with an iPad, and you would have an even more serious force to be reckoned with — plus a lot of people who would probably like to get their hands on the device to discover all the secrets it contains,” Shutterstock says.

“For Pete, it’s largely about who you know, making a robust contact list key. In the ’60s, the Rolodex was still a relatively new invention, but these days, few people would be willing to worry about lost cards or misfiled information when you can carry around everyone’s information right in your pocket.”

Shutterstock says, “Fifty years ago, no one thought twice about relying on cigarettes to unwind or help them through a stressful situation. Today, we think Betty would be an eager adopter of what multitudes of modern women are now turning to instead to de-stress: yoga. Of course, she’d probably still smoke too.”

Shutterstock says, “Barring special occasions, liquor is another thing you don’t tend to find around the workplace much these days, so Roger Sterling would need to have a more acceptable drink on his desk. With a fruit smoothie, he could project an aura of health — but always still spike it from a flask or a concealed bottle for that extra kick.”

 

Does nobody want the Olympic broadcast rights?

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All three major Australian free-to-air networks have pulled out of the bidding process for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Australian is reporting that the Seven Network has pulled out of the bidding process after offering a low bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016 Rio Olympics, after witnessing the $25 million loss the Nine Network faced after the 2013 London Olympics.

Seven was the only clear bidder out of the three main free to air networks, and withdrew its offer after the IOC asked the network to raise its proposed bid to match what Channel Nine paid for the 2012 London Games.

Due to advertising downturn, the network reportedly cannot justify the financial outlay required to broadcast the games, especially after the losses Nine suffered last year.

The Australian reports administrators at the Olympic movement have been taken aback by the lack of interest in Australia, especially since the broadcasting rights are one of the biggest sources of funding for the Committee. It’s also been reported the IOC has had high expectations for the financial gain it would receive from Australian broadcasting dollars.

Australia is the sixth-most valuable territory for Olympic Games broadcast following US, Europe (excluding Italy), Japan, Canada and Italy.

It is believed Channel Seven will now hold off on making any further offers after declining to raise its bid. It’s focus will now turn to settling the bidding process for the Australian cricket broadcasting rights, which is hoped to be resolved later this month.

Seven is fighting with Nine and Ten for the cricket rights, after making an offer estimated at $320 million.

Australia’s anti-siphoning laws are not making life any easier for the IOC. The laws only allow events like the Olympic games to be broadcast on free-to-air television.

The governing body might have to split the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 rights package, and worry about selling Rio at a later date when advertising markets begin to pick up again.

The situation is sure to intensify, as the Sochi 2014 Winter Games are only 10 months away.

 

Nine bags Logie haul, ABC dominates news, Asher Keddie rescues Ten

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The Nine Network was the clear winner after last night’s TV Week Logie Awards with the network taking home a total of eight awards at the glamorous ceremony held at Crown’s Palladium Ballroom.

Telemovie Howzat!, based on Kerry Packer’s invention of World Series Cricket was a big winner, taking home a Logie for most outstanding TV miniseries or telemovie, and most popular TV miniseries or telemovie.

Nine’s newest drama offering, House Husbands, took out the gong for most popular drama, and the well-documented success of Nine’s The Voice was also validated, with the show winning most popular light entertainment program.

Not losing out in the reality and sports TV sphere either, The Block received most popular reality television program and the NRL Footy Show was named the most popular sports program.

Hamish Blake was not surprisingly named most popular presenter for his work on Hamish and Andy’s Euro gap Year and Hamish and Andy’s Caravan of Courage: Australia vs New Zealand also for the Nine Network.

A few eyebrows were raised when Nine personality, Joel Madden, was named most popular new male talent. The Voice judge has already achieved international fame with his band Good Charlotte.

Seven’s ratings domination was not passed on through Logie wins, the network only taking home a handful of awards. Veteran lifestyle show Better Homes and Gardens took home most popular lifestyle program, most popular actor went to Home and Away star Steve Peacocke, while the X-Factor was awarded most outstanding light entertainment program.

Gold Logie and most popular actress Silver Logie recipient, Asher Keddie, can’t seem to put a foot wrong, taking home two of the four awards for Channel Ten, the Offspring actor said of her win: “It’s such a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to the audience who have watched me play a number of characters over the years.”

Channel Ten’s Puberty Blues star, Brenna Harding, took home the sliver Logie for most popular new female talent and Bondi Rescue was named the most popular factual program for the network.

The ABC was dominant in news categories, winning most outstanding news coverage for the Lateline story, ‘Breaking Ranks’ and most outstanding public affairs report for the Four Corners story, ‘Captain Emad: Smugglers’ Paradise – Australia’.

Indigenous Australia was another big winner last night, most outstanding series going to program Redfern Now. The show’s star, actress Shari Sebbens was awarded the Graham Kennedy Award for most outstanding new talent, and Debra Mailman received the Silver Logie for most outstanding actress.

Other awards included Foxtel’s London 2012 Olympic coverage receiving most outstanding sports coverage, most outstanding factual program went to SBS’s Who do you think you are? ABC3’s Dance Academy won most outstanding kids program.

Brian Henderson was inducted in the TV week hall of fame for his long career at the Nine Network.

 

News Limited blabs Logie winner for second year in a row

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They’ve done it again. News Limited, for the second year in a row, has released the name of the Gold Logie winner before the results were broadcast on TV.

This year it was The Australian who published a report that Offspring actor Asher Keddie took home the coveted gold Logie at last night’s award ceremony.

The article’s author, Michael Bodey, sent out this tweet soon after the article was published at 8:45pm on Sunday night:


The article was quickly taken down and republished again at 12:47am.

This is not the first time News Limited has published the Gold Logie winner before it was broadcast on television and embargoed. A news article went up on the Herald Sun site last year announcing Hamish Blake as the winner, well before Blake had collected his award.

Then Herald Sun editor, Simon Pristel, blamed Google for searching the back end of the newspaper’s system and finding an unpublished story. The claim was quickly found to be untrue.

The late broadcast of the awards ceremony is also being blamed for the mishap, the official press release naming Keddie as winner went out at 11:59pm last night, but Keddie’s win was not broadcast on television until 12:20am, as the Nine Network broadcast the event with a delay of several hours.

The question now is, how many times do News Limited have to break the Logies embargo before they are forced to watch the broadcast to find out the winners like the rest of us?

 

Welcome to SBS’ new channel, mustache optional

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SBS has launched the identity of its new channel, SBS 2, with 16 to 39-year-old ‘hipsters’ being the focus of the relaunch campaign.

The rebranded channel, which made its debut this week, will focus on brand-led content, promising to be edgy, adventurous and fun, and connect audiences with the world.

SBS2 LogoSBS creative director, Nol Davis, hopes the new stations quirky image will resonate with its key demographic. “The creative for SBS 2 breaks new ground for media channel branding. It’s theatrical, bold, humorous and topical. It positions SBS 2 perfectly as a brand-led content provider,” he says.

“We set about making the brand creative for SBS 2 as engaging as the content. It’s designed to push boundaries and be thought provoking and entertaining for younger viewers,” David says.

The station has rolled out an advertising campaign that will run across print, in TimeOut and Frankie magazines, outdoor, radio and sbs.com.au.

The station has also launched a hefty social media contingent with dedicated YouTube, Twitter and Facebook pages, including a dedicated Facebook app, ‘First Fix’, which will allow viewers to access content prior to its broadcast date. The station’s Facebook page is already boasting over 1000 likes.

SBS director of marketing Helen Kellie is hoping the channel will also evoke discussions among its audience.

“We know SBS 2’s target audience to be passionate and informed, so social media will provide a home for them to chat and share their opinions about our content. And with that in mind, SBS 2 will talk back,” she says.

The new channel will include US cult comedy Community and Russell Howard’s Good News. SBS’s PopAsia 101 will also move to the new channel, which will also be the home of the first live free-to-air A-League matches later this year.

The launch of the new identity comes after last week’s announcement that Lion and KFC have signed up as brand partners for the relaunch.

sbs 2

BBC releases world’s largest global study of news consumption habits

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BBC World News and BBC.com today released the results of ‘the largest global study to date’ on the consumption of news in the digital age, conducted in order to determine the growing impact of TV, smartphones, tablets and laptops on people’s news consumption habits.

Key findings include:

  • Tablet owners watch more TV news, not less, with 43% of tablet users saying they consume more TV than they did five years ago, and most saying they use tablets alongside TV,
  • young professionals, the 25 to 34-year-old demographic, are the biggest news enthusiasts,
  • second screening for news is becoming commonplace, with users often using devices in tandem. 83% of tablet users say they have used their tablets while watching television,
  • TV still dominates overall usage, taking 42% of people’s news consumption time compared with laptops (29%), smartphones (18%) and tablets (10%),
  • news audiences expect to see advertising nearly as much on mobile (79% tablet, 84% smartphone) as they do on TV (87%) and online (84%), and
  • people respond to advertising across all the screens, with one in seven users indicating they responded to a mobile ad in the last four weeks while responses to TV and desktop are one in five and one in four respectively.

The survey found that, rather than competing, different platforms complement one another allowing people to layer their device usage throughout the day. Smartphones and laptops are most popular throughout the working day, peaking at around 1pm. TV usage spikes dramatically from 5pm onwards, and at its peak time of 7pm TV use is 50% higher than for any other device.

The survey also found that, in breaking news situations, users turn to television as their primary and first device (42%), with the majority (66%) then turning to the internet to investigate stories further. Users rated national and international news of most importance (84%, 82%), closely followed by local news (79%). Financial and business news (61%) were more highly valued than news about sports (56%) and arts/entertainment news (43%).

Jim Egan, CEO of BBC Global News recently visited Australia and New Zealand and presented results from the study. “Avid news consumers are hungry for information wherever they are and expect to stay in touch on all the devices they now own. There’s been speculation for years that mainstream uptake of smartphones, laptops and tablets will have a negative impact on television viewing, but this study has found that the four devices actually work well together, resulting in greater overall consumption rather than having a cannibalising effect,” Egan says.

The study, conducted by InSites Consulting, surveyed more than 3600 owners of digital devices in Australia, Singapore, India, UAE, South Africa, Poland, Germany, France and the US. Survey participants were top income earners and owners of at least three devices among television, tablet, smartphone and laptop/desktop.

 

TV is still the world’s pastime

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A recent report out of Paris has revealed that television viewers globally watched an average of three hours and 17 minutes of broadcast content per day last year, an increase over the previous year and a new record by this measure.

While the study, from Eurodata TV Worldwide, found average viewing time in 2012 was single minute more than in 2011, the result was significant, the report claims.

The rise of tablet viewing has increased and bumped up the figures, the report finds, with the trend to dual screening spreading worldwide, as widely as from the UK to Brazil.

New directions in the TV experience also go far beyond the immediate broadcast experience with Euronews, for example, broadcasting a six-second mini film on its Twitter feed every day (#EuronewsVineOfTheDay).

In another example of the changing of viewing habits, rich content is ensuring that television audiences remain high. From the spin-off content surrounding last year’s London Olympic Games to reality television, especially talent contents like The Voice, “2012 [was] a real turning point for television,” says Amandine Cassi, head of research at Eurodata TV Worldwide.

“Social, connected, synchronised: television keeps reinventing itself in a context in which digital imposes its own mark and rhythm,” Cassi says.

 

TV viewing: multi-platform devices aid, niche content dictates

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There has been a lot of discussion about audiences becoming increasingly adept at using multiple platform devices to consume TV content. In a market where 78% of households have internet access, 56% have smartphones, 22% own tablets and 18% have internet-connected TVs, the engagement with iPads, tablets and next-gen phones isn’t surprising.

What is interesting is that contrary to early premonitions, recent reports are confirming what subscription TV has been forecasting from a while: multiple screens will enhance audience engagement with TV and viewing on multi-screens will not divest audiences from viewing on the main TV screen. When it comes to entertainment, we must remember that technology is a means to an end and not the result in itself. As evidenced by consumer behaviour, people are seeking out content that engages and entertains. Advances in mobile technology and new entertainment ecosystems in our homes are working in favour of the TV industry, as it provides people access to content when and how they want it. And why wouldn’t consumers want more with HD programming, multi-screen and multi-platform interactive content, time-shifted viewing, PVRs and Smart TV technology? The premise of consumer engagement has and always will be quality and relevant content that entertains.

According to a recent ASTRA survey (conducted by AUSPOLL), people viewing TV programs on iPads and tablets, has increased to 33%, from 15% last year, while TV viewership at home dominates the main screen (93%, OzTAM). One of the main reasons for this increase is that multichannel television is built on variety and a depth of niche programming, offering choice for targeted audiences and providing content they love.

As audiences actively engage with TV content via social media and multiple devices, their choices will become increasingly niche. Social media is shaping the kind of content we view and platforms such as Pinterest, blogs and Facebook are harnessing these differences and niche audiences by creating local communities. Why should TV be any different? Content will become increasingly fragmented to reflect consumer tastes and interests. This is in turn creating a snow ball effect on marketing, creative and talent communities.

It may be sport, movies, documentaries, children’s or cultural programming, but what is universal is the viewer’s passion. It is in response to this passion that subscription TV offers the best TV content available, from around the world and here at home. The subscription TV industry invested $667 million last financial year in the production of original Australian content such as Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet, Grand Designs Australia, Camp Orange, Kings Cross ER, Killing Time and Australia’s Great Flood – an increase of 13% – confirming that Australians’ appetite for good quality TV hasn’t waned.

But, good content that resonates with audiences can only come from knowing what consumers want and following their attitudes and behaviours. As ASTRA 2013 Conference speaker Colleen Fahey Rush, executive vice president and chief research officer at Viacom Media Networks, recently said: “The future will bring even more appetite to personalise and expand the relationship fans have with their favourite shows. And we’ll keep listening to them to build those relationships. That’s where it all starts – by knowing our audiences inside and out – kids, guys, millennials, adultsters, boomers, moms. Our consumer insights drive everything we do – the programs we make, the tone we take and the experiences we create.”

 

Petra Buchanan and ASTRA will be holding the ASTRA 2013 Conference next week, taking place on 14 March at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre and, under the theme of ‘Enhanced Entertainment’, will draw together international speakers and local experts to cover a thought provoking range of topics.

 

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Tablets not suspected in fall of TV, but may kill the PVR

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Time spent watching broadcast TV dropped noticeably in quarter four of last year, however rapidly-increasing tablet penetration in homes is not a suspect behind the downturn.

Now in 27% of Australian households, tablets were found to be supplementary to ‘traditional’ television viewing, which dropped by about 10% quarter on quarter and 3.5% year on year to an average of 91 hours and 5 minutes per month.

Nielsen, OzTAM and Regional TAM’s ‘Australian Multi-Screen Report’ and a separate tablet study found only 2% of new iPad users watch TV programs broadcast on either free-to-air or subscription television networks via the tablet devices. Other screens, including smartphones and PCs, also fail to put a major dent in the dominance of the ‘big screen’ with the television set accounting for 93% of all video content viewing.

The additional tablet study, which tracked the introduction of tablets into 30 households over 12 weeks during the second half of 2012, suggests tablets quickly entrench themselves in Australian homes when purchased, CEO of OzTAM, Doug Peiffer, says. “Their role is complementary rather than rival to TV, which remains remarkably resilient in an era of extraordinary consumer choice.”

The tablet is most commonly used to consume TV content if a program is missed on TV for reasons of convenience and portability. Around a quarter of users claim to use the tablet to watch any kind of video content in a month.

People meters attached to TV sets of participants in the special tablet study show, after an initial exploratory period, household TV screen use returns to normal, with viewing of live TV in some cases rising. Both before and after receiving tablets, 100% of study participants said the conventional TV screen was their preferred and primary device for watching TV.

However, TV playback viewing activity via PVRs was slow to recover during weekdays, suggesting the presence of tablets is influencing the days people do their catch-up viewing, with PVR use reducing and consigned to weekends.

The lion’s share of TV viewership remains live, with 93% of content consumed during broadcast slots and playback accounting for only 7% or 6 hours and 30 minutes per month.

Average daily time spent viewing television has been consistent over the past ten years, even as technology and entertainment choice causes audiences to splinter across screens. Across calendar 2012, Australians watched an average of 3 hours and 11 minutes of TV a day, compared to an average of 3 hours 18 minutes in 2003.

The combination of extended screens (PC and mobile phone, tablet time not tracked) for used for watching any video content accounts for 7% of video consumption on traditional TV sets. More than 11.1 million Australians watch video content online via a PC or laptop, for an average of 5 hours and 54 minutes per month. Such viewing is highest among people aged 18 to 24 years at 11 hours and 36 minutes.

Smartphone owners spend an average of 1 hour 20 minutes watching any video on the device each month.

Tablets are the device most likely to be used simultaneously to TV viewership, with 43% of people claiming to have done so at least once a month. On smartphones 40% were multi-tasking in concert with watching TV while 24% used laptops while watching the box.

Simultaneous tablet use is predominantly for activities unrelated to the TV program or advertising being watched, the most popular being messaging, shopping research and access of other entertainment content. Only one in three view content related to the TV program or advertising.

Technology in Australian homes is reaching new heights, the study also found. Digital TV is now practically universal, present among 98% of homes while household internet penetration is stable at 79%, with an average of 50 hours and 42 minutes spent online per month.

Internet-connected TVs can be found in 20% of homes, just behind tablets which are present in 27% of households after strong growth of 12% throughout the year.

Traditional broadcast television, however, still commands the most wide-reaching daily audience, hitting more than three quarters of the population every day.

 

Are we playing the mega TV brand game hard enough in Australia?

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Programs that are mega brands in their own right have dominated Australian TV screens for the past few years, and will continue to in 2013. Shows like The Voice, My Kitchen Rules, X Factor, MasterChef and The Block regularly command million-plus audiences. They also come with hefty purchase or production price tags that match the potential audiences they entice. But, despite the expensive outlay to secure the rights to these shows, Australian TV marketing departments aren’t doing enough to ensure their network is rewarded not just with high audience figures, but audience engagement that goes beyond fans tuning in each night for their favourite show and actually earns the network money.

Strategies to expand viewer engagement with a particular show aren’t anything new. DVDs, books and merchandise have always been used to expand the following of an already popular show. So, why aren’t we doing it better?

Expanding viewer engagement is a well-worn model in the children’s market, with Disney in pride of place in terms of how a network or producer can further capitalise on a show and its characters. Disney is a past master with rides at their theme parks, live shows, books, DVD, apparel and toys. The turnover and profit from these spin-offs can dwarf the value of the original TV show or film, such as Hanna Montana or the original media mega brand Mickey Mouse.

It’s overdue for this approach to be embraced, and embraced well, in the adult program market in Australia. The best, and most high-profile, example of a show that’s embraced viewer devotion beyond the TV screen recently is Top Gear. An avid, mostly male, following has seen the show and its creators earn millions from live events, exclusive digital content and gaming, as well as the ubiquitous DVDs, books and merchandise. Top Gear’s viewer engagement strategy has been so successful that non-TV revenues account for more than half of the brand’s turnover. Not bad.

In Australia we don’t seem to be following the same game with the same intensity. If you visit the site for Australia’s top rating show last year, The Voice, there’s no locally-implemented continuation of the show. No show memorabilia, no live tour and no additional content on sale. Quite a contrast to the US site where viewers can further engage via an online shop that offers merchandise and additional content available all year round. US viewers need never miss out on their favourite show, and have easy access to elements that enhance their program experience. And this earns the US network dollars.

The Block and My Kitchen Rules are two Aussie TV success stories with ratings in the top five last year. But beyond this, any opportunity for avid viewers to engage with their favourite program – in a way that earns the network and production companies income – almost doesn’t exist. Both formats scream easy money when it comes to offering product and insight to fans, but they don’t seem to have much of an experience beyond the show. Sure, My Kitchen Rules released a cook book, but beyond that, nothing. What a missed opportunity. For MKR – cookware and cooking classes could have further extended the brand. And for The Block, don’t get me started on home DIY project kits…

X Factor Australia has got its act together a bit more with live events and music from the show on sale and prominent on their website and Facebook pages, but it’s still not a patch on the US equivalent. By discussing these examples, I’m not saying that from now on any program concept the networks and production companies create needs to be accompanied by a viewer engagement strategy that generates incomes – far from it. But networks willing to pay for the TV mega brand programs should be looking for opportunity – and implementing it – to earn income that offsets the high price tag.

In my view, we’ll see two levels of viewer engagement strategy generated in the coming years. For some shows we’ll see the TV show experience enhanced by additional complementary social or other media that increases the audience TV reach or loyalty. Other shows will be built up and positioned as break-out TV brands that offer their audience a multitude of experiences and offers beyond what they see on telly. The trick for media companies is getting the timing right. Investing in these additional elements too early before you know the success of the show, leaves a network even more exposed, but investing too late means a network won’t make as much money on the additional revenue streams as planned.

In 2013 and beyond, creating a TV mega hit will be harder than ever due to increased costs of making stand out shows and marketing them with increased competition for audiences’ viewing time between the web, gaming and our TV sets. So, finding new ways of engaging audiences in our shows and building brand loyalty should be mandatory weapons in our armoury. When shows think like an experience brand and engage fans beyond the screen, the audience is left anticipating the next series with greater enthusiasm and healthier financial future for the show overall is ensured.

 

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The future of television: part 2

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In this second article by Seb Rennie on the future of television (read part one here), the implications of the rise of social TV for networks and marketers are explored. Does tweeting about a TV program make viewers more engaged?

TV viewing is no longer something we do alone or with other household members in the comfort of our living room. We can now watch television with a few thousand of our closest friends, or a few million people around the world.

The rise of ‘social TV’ – the use of social media or apps on a second screen while watching television – in Australia and around the world is good news for TV broadcasters. Using Twitter or any other social media platform to comment on a TV program means viewers are more likely to watch the program at its broadcast time, rather than at their time-shifted convenience. This digital watercooler effect will create the opportunity for brands to speak to a more engaged audience.

According to Nielsen, one in three Twitter users in the US post messages about TV shows. While that level of data is not available in Australia, viewers here often take to Twitter to follow TV show buzz, whether it be for the ABC’s Q&A to the Seven Network’s X-Factor and any show in between.

Australians have been multi-screening – engaging with more than one screen simultaneously – for years now, with Nielsen statistics showing that the percentage of Aussies participating in multi-screening has been relatively stable at 60% for the past five years. Significantly however, we are spending more time on two or more screens than we used to.

The networks have responded to this trend with their own social TV apps, such as the Seven Network’s Fango and Nine Network’s Jump-in, the latter launched in time for the London Olympics. Both apps allow users to ‘check in’ to programs, follow Facebook and Twitter feeds, and chat to other viewers about the show they are watching.

Instead of developing its own app, Network Ten joined forces with UK social TV app developer Zeebox, which launched in Australia at the start of December. Zeebox is not tied to Ten: users can follow social chatter and comment on shows airing on any network. Australian viewers’ initial response to Zeebox has been positive, with more than 100,000 downloads in its first two weeks.

The benefits of social TV for marketers are obvious. Participating in social TV chatter, whether on Twitter or through Fango or Zeebox, transforms users from passive audience members to active and engaged viewers. When viewers are less passive, marketers can grab the opportunity to advertise their brands in a more engaged way.

More importantly, social TV can take users closer to the point of purchase. As smartphones and tablets take over from bricks-and-mortar retailers, social TV can close the gap by providing product information and connecting users to an online shopping cart.

As technology improves, apps will evolve and become more versatile. Among the apps that can help make this possible is Shazam, which previously allowed users to ‘tag’ and identify songs. Shazam is now working with all the US networks, allowing users to tag a show to bring up information on cast, plot lines, trivia, photos and social media buzz. Locally the technology will be used by the Seven Network through Fango to offer advertisers the opportunity to extend their message to the second screen.

Shazam showcased the potential of this deeper engagement in the 2012 Superbowl. By participating during the game, users were offered a number of opportunities to enhance their game experience. This also extended to the advertising: access  to special deals, additional information about a brand or product, including long-form branded content or the chance to enter a consumer promotion were all available to the user.

As opposed to skipping ads while watching television, when viewers directly engage with TV content and advertising messages through social media platforms, they are more likely to be interested in what advertisers have to say.

The opportunity is here, so marketers and their agencies should be thinking of how they can enhance the 30-second TVC and find more ways to engage with consumers on the second screen and beyond. Television has a long and healthy future ahead of it.