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Twitter + TV: The 360-degree Viewing Experience

Sport | Technology

Twitter has today released a video that demonstrates just how firmly embedded the micro-blogging site has become in everyday life, as broadcasters tap into the increasing multi-screening habits of TV viewers.

The multi-screening trend, that of TV viewers interacting with shows not only through their television sets but concurrently through PCs, Laptops and smartphone devices, is nothing new but broadcasters are finally using the trend to engage and empower audiences at home.

The recent Royal Wedding between Prince Williams and Kate Middleton has been a great symbol for how tradition is now blending seamlessly with modernity. Whether you were one of the millions who watched the event on TV or interacted online during the event, you can’t fail to have succumbed to some form of exposure.

Much like religious holidays (Christmas, Easter) and global sporting events like last year’s Football World Cup, the addition of social media outlets to traditional media and marketing platforms, allowed the Royal Wedding to transcend usual channels and saturate public awareness.

Multi-screening is also giving sport an extra dimension. The BBC has embraced this whole-heartedly. Sports each have their own hashtag - #BBCF1, for example – while presenters are active tweeters themselves – again, @JakeHumphreyF1 – inviting the viewer into the show. Use of Twitter and Facebook to speak directly to the producers and presenters during live shows is audience participation at its best - a modern day version of the old ‘phone-in’, if you will.

Today’s political decision in the UK to reform the MP voting system has highlighted another feature of Twitter that is fast becoming a useful tool for companies, the hashtag opinion poll. The deployment of #YestoAV and #NotoAV hashtags will give an instant straw poll, assessing the general mood of a cross-section of society. Admittedly, this does not accurately predict how many people will go to the polls but it is another example of how public perception can be gauged using a simple Twitter functionality.

Twitter, too, is becoming increasingly predictable as it becomes an integrated part of daily life.

Yesterday’s #StarWarsDay became a genuine marketing opportunity, rather than just an off-the-cuff piece of nerd humour. (May the Fourth be with you, for those who still don’t get it). Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of #StarWarsDay was Volkswagen, whose The Force TV advert, originally developed for last year’s Superbowl, generated a whole new lease of life through retweets simply because of the day. 

Equally, the release of the Star Wars Complete Saga on Blu-Ray was deliberately announced yesterday with a combination of hype and expectation leading to the site’s collapse. The Force was clearly excessively strong.

Take a look at the Twitter video via The Wall UK website  to see just how Twitter is now an extension of broadcasting rather than an optional add-on. Multi-device viewing has helped move event television to a whole new realm, giving viewers a 360-degree experience.

Give it a try with this weekend’s #F1 #TurkishGP and send your thoughts to @JakeHumphreyF1 and the #BBCF1 team.

Chris Hughes

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