The WIT Analysis: NBC

NEW YORK: Constantine, from Warner Bros. Television, generated the most interest in social media among all the new NBC shows presented at the Upfronts last week, according to analysis by The WIT.

The show, which Warner Bros. International Television Distribution will be screening for buyers in Los Angeles, is based on the DC Comics series Hellblazer. It has been slated for a Friday 10 p.m. slot on NBC.

The WIT says the series is currently “NBC’s strongest candidate for buzz among new shows of the 2014/2015 season in social media and the third overall, after FOX’s Gotham and The CW’s The Flash." In the two days following the NBC Upfront the show generated about 8,000 tweets, with some 7.3 million views of the trailer as of May 19 (the most viewed ahead of FOX’s Gotham, another Warner Bros. series.)

“The response across social media is widely positive,” says The WIT’s Caroline Servy. “People find the trailer stylish and exciting, close to the original DC Comics story, [and] trust they will prefer this version to the Keanu Reeves movie… although a recurring obsession among fans on Facebook is the absence of the detective’s legendary cigarette!”

NBC’s second buzziest title is Tim Kring’s Heroes reboot, Heroes: Reborn, an event series for 2015. The 20-second teaser released in February has been seen more than 4.5 million times on YouTube as of May 19. Conversation since the Upfront has been focused on which stars of the original will return for the new show. “The reactions we observe in social media are of curiosity as well as skepticism,” Servy says. “Fans question if the reboot is worth it and doesn’t come too late after the series finale in 2010. What they ask for now is some new material to feed their curiosity: a proper trailer and some names!”

Katherine Heigl’s political thriller State of Affairs, which NBCUniversal International Television Distribution is showcasing this week at the Screenings, is third on the social-media buzz ranking for NBC, but falls well behind Constantine and Heroes: Reborn, The WIT indicates. The trailer has been viewed 4.7 million times as of May 19, but The WIT points to a relatively low level of social-media engagement based on Facebook and Twitter activity, and “Thumbs Up” ratings on YouTube.

“We read a positive reception on specific points such as the character of Katherine Heigl, the choice of an African-American woman [Alfre Woodard] as President, but only a moderate level of anticipation, “ Servy says. “The trailer raised more comparisons than curiosity,” she adds, referencing comments like “Revenge meets Scandal in a crisis setting,” and “Homeland copycat.”

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