Nielsen Study Links Twitter Conversations with TV Ratings

NEW YORK: Nielsen has released findings that for the first time ever provide statistical evidence for a "two-way causal influence" between broadcast TV tune-in for a show and the Twitter conversation around that program.

The study analyzed minute-to-minute trends in Nielsen’s Live TV Ratings and Tweets for 221 broadcast prime-time program episodes using Nielsen’s SocialGuide. The findings show that Live TV Ratings had a statistically significant impact in related tweets among 48 percent of the episodes sampled. Also, the volume of tweets caused statistically significant changes in Live TV Ratings among 29 percent of the episodes.

“Using time series analysis, we saw a statistically significant causal influence indicating that a spike in TV ratings can increase the volume of Tweets, and, conversely, a spike in Tweets can increase tune-in,” said Paul Donato, the chief research officer at Nielsen. “This rigorous, research-based approach provides our clients and the media industry as a whole with a better understanding of the interplay between Twitter and broadcast TV viewing.”

This is the first study that actually quantifies the extent to which higher levels of tweeting may cause additional viewers to watch a program.

“These results substantiate what many of our TV partners have been telling us anecdotally for years: namely, that Twitter drives tune-in, especially for live, linear television programming,” said Ali Rowghani, Twitter’s chief operating officer. “As the world’s preeminent real-time social communication medium, Twitter is a complementary tool for broadcasters to engage their audience, drive conversation about their programming, and increase tune-in.”

“Media companies and advertisers have already made investments in social media outreach as a means of engaging more directly with consumers, and we believe there are worthwhile opportunities for Nielsen to conduct additional research that can help quantify the relationship between television and social media activity,” added Donato.