Television is set to travel a two-way street
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The social media will play an increasing role in what viewers think of what they are watching, and content providers will have to respond accordingly
Big changes are afoot in the television industry with the growth of “social TV”, the latest buzzword in the new-media environment. With or without digital-TV channels in Thailand, social TV will undoubtedly affect viewers as well as the industry. But the coming increase in the number of channels is expected to accelerate the phenomenon of two-way communication between content providers and viewers.
The integration of social-media content into TV programming has begun in Thailand. Many viewers are already in the habit of tweeting about what they watch. This behaviour has become common in countries where social media are major communications tools.
The participation of viewers via social media started in the United States. In Thailand, tweeting about TV shows has become more popular over the past few years. A lot of popular shows, like soap operas, news programmes, reality series and live sports broadcasts such as English Premier League dominate Twitter activity when they’re on the air. We’ve seen the Twitter timeline flooded with comments about hit shows on Channel 3 like “Vanida” in 2010 and “Raeng Ngao” and “The Voice Thailand” last year. More recently, on the news side, the controversial debate on Article 112 on Thai PBS also set Twitter alight, with all kinds of comments posted by the viewing public.
The local TV industry has not yet figured out whether the number of tweets and additional exposure on social media like Facebook have anything thing to do with ratings. However, people in the industry are closely monitoring the new trend. So far there is little clear-cut proof that social media affects ratings, but the available findings are interesting. A recent Nielsen/Social Guide study confirmed that increases in Twitter volume correlate to a rise in ratings among some age groups. It is known that, in the US, 80 per cent of smart-phone and tablet owners use the devices while watching TV. In Thailand such a trend is still in its infancy.
Thailand will see a rise in the number of smart-phone and tablet owners, fuelled by the arrival of 3G/4G technology, which will further encourage people to multitask in front of their TV screens. The TV industry, which once feared losing viewers to the Internet, has embraced social TV and tried to bridge TV viewing with the online experience. The question is how stations, producers and marketers can cash in on the trend.
It won’t be up to industry people alone. It’s the viewers who will be the real driving force of social TV. Their pre-programme or post-programme opinions can influence content providers, who face a live “jury” every day. This kind of influence will eventually affect TV ratings in a big way.
The industry will face tougher scrutiny, but it will also benefit from more active viewers. Tweets during a show often carry a hash tag (#) that’s an indirect promotion for the programme. News and variety shows in Thailand have gradually started engaging viewers by posting their opinions on screen. News programmes in particular can offer insight into a story when viewers post their comments live on air. The flood disaster in 2011 demonstrated how the social media could help the mainstream media mobilise rescue-and-relief workers and identify areas needing immediate assistance. Conventional journalists can now receive important tip-offs, but at the same time must be more aware of ethics and accuracy.
These changes are expected to become increasingly visible with the arrival soon of digital TV and the growing number of affordable tablets and smart phones. It is a time for the industry to readjust. In the past, TV producers were familiar with a “one-way traffic system”, when it was the audience that they tried to reach. The game has changed. Viewers will now go searching, and when they find programmes they like or dislike, the flow of traffic, or information, will be two-way.
