Measuring Fandom: Social TV Analytics and the Integration of Fandom into Television Audience
Measurement
Allie Kosterich @allkost
Philip M. Napoli @pmnapoli
Rutgers University School of Communication & Information
Annual Meeting of the Broadcast Education Association Las Vegas, Nevada
April 19, 2016
Audience vs. Fans
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Fans are the most visible and identifiable of audiences
- Lewis, 1992
Fans are a form of skilled audience - Abercromie & Longhurst, 1992
To view TV is to engage in a relatively private behavior. To be a fan is to participate in a range of activities that extend beyond…and reflect an enhanced emotional involvement…
- Bielby et al., 1999
An audience changes the channel when the show is over. A fan base shares, comments, creates content when the show is done
- Meeker, 2014 (Deadline)
Understanding fans is the new superpower … [Executives] have shifted their language, now targeting fans instead of viewers or audiences - Kresnika, 2016 (Variety)
Measuring TV Audiences and Fans
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Consumption- vs. Fandom-Oriented Approaches to Audience Measurement
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Genre
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Composition by program genre and charting placement for different genres.
Notes: All figures are means, standard deviation indicated as s.d.
*Significant at p < 0.01
Source
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Table at left: Diversity according to program source (percentage).
Table above: Charting placement for different network sources. Notes: All figures are means, standard deviation indicated as s.d. *Significant at p < 0.01
Implications
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
- Social TV analytics as stronger indicator of fandom. - Traditional measurement is an incomplete portrait of audience behavior? - Social TV analytics is reflection of efforts by programmers who can’t succeed under traditional system? - Audiences engaging in social media activity are fundamentally different?
- Social TV analytics as information source for programming and ad-buying decision-making.
- Greater array of content? - More competitive landscape? - Greater diversity of successful program sources?
Thank You! Allie Kosterich & Philip M. Napoli
@allkost @pmnapoli