FreshNetworks Blog

Social TV, or Connected TV as it’s also known, will be an exciting area for marketers in the future as the opportunity for integrating the Internet and social networks offers a whole new dimension to the TV experience.

But while large numbers of consumers are already using social channels at the same time as viewing TV broadcasts, there are still several challenges for connected TV, as discussed at a recent Econsultancy round-table event:

1. Consumer adoption

Despite a prediction that 28 million connected TVs will have saturated the UK by 2014, the transition to connected TV will have its difficulties. One concern is that after adopting HD and 3D TV there will be confusion and reluctance from consumers to upgrade their TVs yet again.

However, connected TV is already being adopted – DisplaySearch has reported  that nearly 20% of all TVs shipped in 2010 included some capability. This figure is due to rise  from 40 million units worldwide in 2010 to an estimated 123 million by 2014.

2. Regulation, privacy and security concerns

With connected TV, regulation will not be as simple, and we imagine that it will be some time before the jurisdiction of connected TV and related apps will be clear. Currently with dual screen viewing the second screen does not fall under OfCom regulation and we expect there to be several test cases before things are truly tightened up.

Consumers may also have issues about their privacy, and of course the new channel might have security issues that people will need to bear in mind to stay safe.

3. Changing our TV habits

TV viewing is already a social activity, but connected TV will take the once-passive activity to a new level of active involvement. A considerable amount of people are already using social channels while viewing TV, and a connected TV will be able to provide suggestions and playlists on the basis of your likes and recommendations from your social networks. Opportunities for viewers to interact directly with broadcasts and other viewers will greatly expand the involvement and experience of watching TV – in fact, “watching TV” may become an antiquated expression in itself!

The Future

We are still yet to see exactly what connected TV will be able to do, but with the introduction of YouView next year and must-see events such as the Olympics taking place, there will be plenty of opportunity to experiment and trial new techniques for communication with your audience using both social channels and television.

Yesterday I went to a Social Media Week event hosted by the Central Office of Information (COI) that focused on data.gov.uk.

Data.gov.uk is a programme that was initiated under Gordon Brown’s tenure of Labour leadership and now continues on in a slightly slimmed down version under the coalition government.

The basic idea is that different parts of government, at local and national level, share relevant data they produce with the public. It’s a great idea because it encourages departments to be open and honest, providing the British people with access to the data that they essentially “own”.

Learnings so far:

• They’ve realised that it’s not an IT project, but a data project. It sounds obvious, but all the early problems were IT related; they soon realised they needed to focus on the data itself.
• They established public data principles, helping them publish the data in ways people can use it, like using infographics and standard data formats which can be manipulated in Excel. (Click on the infographic above or here to see it enlarged).
• They learned they need basic data standards across government organisations.
• They learned that with programmes like this, it’s best to get something out, event if it’s a rough version of what it will eventually become, and then improve it as time goes by. This helps get people engaged in the project early on.

How is the project using social media?

• They currently have several blogs, with sharing functionality and comments etc.
• There is a wiki for data.gov.uk where people can contribute and learn about the programme.
• There is an active community engaged around the programme, many of whom are developers and data analysts .
• They have realised there are distinct audiences they need to communicate with through social media and that there are different best practices for each. For example, they know that all the developers are on twitter and communicate in forums.

For those interested in social, especially it’s applications around government, probably the most exciting news is that the Data.gov.uk programme has been something of a pioneer in government for trialling the ways social might impact government activity.

It’s become a good hub for testing ideas and working out best practise, and is leading the way in taking social into other parts of government.

On Tuesday, as part of social media week,  I attended an event on “The Future of TV Advertising – Keeping it Social”. The discussion centered on how social media can bring the fragmented viewing experience back to a shared one.

Here are the main points of interest from the debate:

Traditional TV adverts

• Ads can get exponential views on YouTube – people will search for, and share, their favourite ads.
• Sky offers viewers a ‘green button’ for ads to be recorded for re-viewing or sharing with friends.
• TV ads don’t even need to be broadcast during the Superbowl – this year a large amount of “Superbowl Ads” were launched on Youtube and never broadcast on TV – huge savings!
• Lynx/Axe has released an advert virally, aiming to learn how to edit/adjust it for the broadcast version, with the hope that final version will then once again go viral. (People I spoke to afterwards were doubtful about the practicalities and costs of doing this – but it’s an interesting experiment).
• TV ads are not the be-all and end-all! ABInbev are now realizing the importance of digital for engaging young beer drinkers while they’re still developing their tastes, before they get cemented on just one or two brands.

Viewing devices for the future

• 2010 election debate – interaction from Facebook and Twitter demonstrate that live social commentary has well and truly arrived.
• However, tablets will be the next big thing with UK tablet ownership to reach 8.6m by 2014.
• Internet connected TVs will be mass-market in 2014 and are offering another avenue for ad content and social recommendation to be integrated in the viewing experience.

Social TV products to watch out for

• Miso -allows users to check-in to what they are watching; like 4square for TV (e.g. badges)
• GetGlue – same as Miso
• Starling – for “event TV” – allows audience to interact and discuss live with other fans, or restrict the circle to your friends

Examples of social integration with TV:

• Grey’s Anatomy -apparently a recent broadcast (last week in the US) overlaid an iPad app on the show. One of the characters is using twitter in the episode, and it was possible to follow this stream. This is being described as an example of what may appear in the UK when product placement regulations are loosened.
• Facebook events -setting up a Facebook event allows fans to RSVP to a show – share with their friends what they will be viewing in advance. The panel member from Facebook said this is already taking place and that we should all have seen this before. We haven’t as of yet so we’re interested to see if anyone else has?
• Facebook games running alongside broadcasts
• Million Pound Drop Live has hundreds of thousands of people playing along in parallel to the broadcast via a Facebook game. This is claimed to be just 10% of the viewing audience and so is just the start of things to come.

The key thought which came from the event was that brands who are already social-conscious will be the ones to succeed with these future tools. The adage of not shouting but listening has to be kept in mind – the brands that can find a way to lead from the 30-second “shout” into a social conversation will go on to lead the way.

If you’ve got any pics from social media week events why not upload them through instagram so they can appear on our social media week instagram photo wall? Just tweet them with the hashtag #smw and we’ll pick them up!