Neilsen, a global information and measurement company, introduced Twitter TV ratings over the week of Oct. 7. This innovation not only measures those tweeting about various television shows but also the audiences that view and share those tweets.
According to a recent Nielsen news release, 19 million unique people in the U.S. composed 263 million Tweets about live TV in 2013 alone.
With such an influx in Twitter chatter, users of the social media mammoth have begun paying more attention to what is being said about their favorite television programming.
“When it comes to TV ratings and Twitter, I’m not so sure about it. Twitter serves a very specific population that is very rich in media and opinionated,” said Tatiana Leavitt, 22, a sociology major from El Cajon, Calif.
The new ratings system will help television networks know more accurately when their programming is popular or not. It will also help advertisers to carry out targeted media planning based on the viewership of various television shows.
A major implication of the new ratings system is the closing gap between media network programming and the viewer. It is becoming increasingly easier for the viewer to be heard by television networks and even celebrities involved with various television shows.
“I use Twitter to add my voice to the chaos and try to get a tweet from famous people,” said Keath Fenton, a 22-year-old BYU student. “I don’t know about using it for television ratings. I guess it makes sense because people tweet about things and it’s honest opinions.”
It will be a matter of time before we see the full implications of the new ratings roll-out; until then, the tweets are not forecasted to cease.
More information about Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings can be found at www.socialguide.com.
