Top ten TV shows across social media

Since word-of-mouth is one of the most effective tools in promoting or dissuading really anything, an advertiser’s biggest challenge is to encourage and direct it. With the introduction of social media, word-of-mouth is more readily available and mainstream than simple water cooler talk. That’s why it’s helpful for advertisers to know what dominates the social media arena.

According to Nielsen SocialGuide, cable TV shows, between September and November 2013, accounted for five of the top ten shows on social media. The focus was on the average unique audience.

MediaPost listed out the top ten shows as follows:

·        “Breaking Bad” from AMC with 6.03 million average unique audience (Cable)

·        “The Walking Dead” from AMC with 4.89 million(Cable)

·        “American Horror Story: Coven” from FX with 2.93 million (Cable)

·        “Scandal” from ABC with 2.31 million (Broadcast)

·        “Dancing with the Stars” from ABC with 2.22 million (Broadcast)

·        “The Voice” from NBC with 2.13 million (Broadcast)

·        “Glee” from FOX with 2.05 million (Broadcast)

·        “The X Factor” from FOX with 1.8 million (Broadcast)

·        “Catfish: The TV Show” from MTV with 1.77 million (Cable)

·        “Awkward” from MTV with 1.47 million (Cable)

The takeaway is the ability to know your audience. If your target audience are adults 18-49, and research shows that they like “Breaking Bad,” have your team track how that show trends on all types of social media. The good, bad, and ugly comments, posts, tweets, etc. can help an advertiser get a better picture of what the consumer wants and doesn’t want.