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A new wave of multichannel video service providers, or MVSPs for short, are transforming the television experience by kicking the traditional TV viewing format into a far more  social sphere. Maximising on interactivity by offering second screen capabilities, revolutionary new forms of usage behaviour are emerging relating to social discovery. For example in advertising breaks, a large number of brands and retailers now mention the ways in which you can connect via Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. MVSP systems will allow viewers to tap into these social channels via multi-screen technology at the click of a button, without leaving the program.

The main selling point however of social TV is its ability to provide personalised information connected to either the show or logged in user.  Taking this concept further, tailored advertising such as that found in the right hand columns on Facebook can draw on information gathered from the user’s viewing preferences or activity whilst logged in on social networking sites to offer personalised advertising solutions. 150 billion minutes of video content is downloaded from YouTube each month – that’s the equivalent of 4 million TV channels – proving that social television is the next logical step to connect social media and mainstream television.

Considering reports that Facebook will reach one billion users by 2012 out of two billion internet users worldwide, that’s a staggering statistic; a mass audience beyond the wildest expectations of any broadcaster for advertising possibilities. “We want to be your partner in unlocking 750 million friends,” Facebook’s European head Joanna Shields told broadcasters at IBC 2011’s keynote on Social Media. To be successful, social TV needs to be executed in alignment with a brand’s existing social strategy. It is for this reason we focus the attention of our broadcast clients on developing the right strategy to take full advantage of the opportunities available through social TV because the solution is nothing with the strategy.

Social television presents opportunities for extended content related to either the television show itself or brands featured in advertising breaks. Along with a broadband TV viewing experience comes countless opportunities for audience engagement and monetisation via additional content videos; real-time conversations related to the TV show and interaction between fans. Social television opens up opportunities to use smartphones and tablets as remote controls and program guides, not only making use of extended functionality and inter-connectivity but streamlining the whole viewing process.

“Social TV solutions provide the canvas for creative content producers, advertisers and merchandisers to create social TV experiences that matter” concluded Alex Blum, COO at KIT Digital. When social TV is adopted into the mainstream it will open out countless opportunities for brands to engage with their consumers more closely by understanding their purchasing behaviour and viewing habits. Furthermore, by tapping into this information brands can offer solutions to problems at points where the viewer is most susceptible to take note and buy, converting views to sales via ecommerce platforms on broadband enabled television sets. Welcome to the dawn of social TV friend!

Tags  Alex Blum broadcast ecommerce Facebook IBC Joanna Shields KIT Digital monetisation multi-screen multichannel video service providers MVSP second screen smartphones social media social networks social strategy social television social tv tablets tailored advertising Twitter YouTube