Social Wit List: November 2014

NEW YORK: In November, Lifetime's Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B stirred up the most buzz in social media of all the new shows that premiered across the globe, with some 769,000 Facebook and Twitter comments, according to data from The WIT.

Conversations surrounding the unauthorized TV movie about the R&B superstar's rise to fame and tragic death centered on its #Controversial and #NotCredible story, #WrongCast and #NotEnoughMusic.

Second in November's top-ten rankings of buzz-generating new programs was the one-off Discovery Channel stunt Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda, delivering around 148,000 tweets. The live performance by Nik Wallenda, "The King of the Highwire," had social media buzzing about the #Exciting and #Epic #LiveEvent, with fans giving #Kudos for the audacious feat.

The inaugural broadcast of the Hollywood Film Awards on CBS generated some 81,000 tweets in social media. The 17th annual ceremony of the awards show that honors excellence in filmmaking had social media commenting on the #Glamorous #LiveEvent and its #Fan Power.

Coming in fourth on the list was the Lifetime holiday movie Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever, a telefilm about the Internet-famous feline. There were around 58,000 tweets about the broadcast focused on its #ZanyHumor, #OverCute star and that it was #NotTheAverageLifetimeMovie.

Turkey's Şeref Meselesi, which aired on Kanal D, had around 41,000 Facebook and Twitter comments. The local adaptation of the Canale 5 Italian series L'onore e il rispetto (A Matter of Respect) is about two very different brothers who fall in love with the same woman. Social media conversations were about the #StellarCast and that it was #Entertaining but #NotVeryEthical.

The VH1 reality soap K.Michelle: My Life, which follows the life of the best-selling recording artist and star of VH1's Love & Hip Hop, drew around 28,000 comments in social media. Buzz talk included comments about the #Fanbase and #EngagedAudience and about the show being #Outrageous.

The teen drama Bagito, broadcast on ABS-CBN in the Philippines, generated around 27,000 social media comments. The show, starring singer Nash Aguas (from boy band Gimme 5), is about a teenager forced to face the responsibilities of being a young father. Viewers took to Facebook and Twitter to discuss the #Fanbase of #EngagedTeens for this #LoveStory.

From the U.K., Channel 4's Make Leicester British was number eight on the list of November's top new buzz-generating programs. The one-off is a follow-up to the format Make Bradford British, and it featured eight Leicester residents—four British citizens from various backgrounds and four migrants—living under the same roof for several days to gain a real insight into each other's lives. Around 23,000 social media comments were made about the program and its #Insightful take on a #BurningIssue that some were calling an #OverExposedTopic.

The star-filled charity gala Alors on chante on TF1 in France had around 21,000 tweets. The event, which celebrated the 20th anniversary of NGO Sidaction (Fight Against AIDS) with French singers, comedians and more, had buzz talk about the #Music and #Comedy. Commenters were also discussing the #Star-Filled event's #GoodCause.

Number ten on the list was Spain's version of the hit format Killer Karaoke. The series, which airs on Cuatro, watches as contestants do their best to perform some of the world's greatest hits, while everything is done to put them off. The audience had a #Mixed reaction to the show in social media, with some calling it #Entertaining while others took issue with its #CrueltyToAnimals and #LameExecution.

Want this info in your inbox every month? Sign up for the Social Wit List from World Screen and The WIT here.