Future of Social TV: Engaging Fans on the Second Screen

Here's part 4 of the Future of Social TV predictions: Engaging Fans on the Second Screen (Part 3, Part 5)

Even as social engagement has become an increasingly important aspect of audience value, most of these interactions currently take place around or about the show, as opposed to being tied directly to it.

There is a huge opportunity to tie social engagement directly to show content and incorporate this interaction into the value of viewership. For example, a show like “Psych” might offer more clues to solve the mystery in the second screen or FX’s “Sons of Anarchy” might give second-screen viewers more in-depth character background. This gives producers a chance to engage with their true-blue fans on a much deeper level, creating evangelists that could even influence the future of programs that don’t quite garner the viewing audience execs would like to see, yet command a passionate, engaged fan base. At the same time, this more intimate relationship with dedicated fans can tie heavily into marketing opportunities—for example, with ads on second screen targeted to this more highly engaged audiences.

Last prediction: Part 5 – Experimentation