The leaders of live social TV recently converged in New York city to discuss the future of this emerging technologies.  The summit was hosted by Never.No and was attended by networks representatives from Major League Baseball network, CBC Broadcasting, Al jazeera network, Music Choice , International Broadcasting Bureau, Social Guide.

So what is social TV?  Social TV is real-time engagement during a broadcast event. This will be something you will soon see more of, as networks and regional O&O stations adopt this trend.  Incorporating social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and others, allows broadcasters to engage audiences in real time more than ever before. This goes far beyond just taking a feed from a Facebook page or making a graphic to reflect something that was said on Twitter.  Social TV will now help compliment broadcasters in their 1^st and 2^nd screen goals. Social TV could be a potential game changer for real time news and events from all over the globe, not to mention the additional revenues for broadcasters can reap from this technology if executed properly.

Broadcasters are now hopping on the trend of using Twitter/Facebook/social media to encourage viewers to interact with their programs. In some cases they rely on the spontaneity of viewers to make their own Tweets or they can give an on screen call to action to encourage interaction.

They can take artful approaches to getting viewers involved. Think how much feedback they could get from the audience during an event such as a presidential debate, for example, by encouraging tweets and creating interactive polls.

With the rise in popularity of social TV, people will have another platform to talk about your company and products/services. Just think how valuable it would be for companies to deliver live testimonials on air through social media, using using a social TV platform.

Soon it will common place for broadcasters to use hash tags and @ handles to get people involved not only on their second screen but first screen as well. A two way interaction that can add dollars to their bottom line.

From a technical standpoint, this could be quite complicated. However, there is a company that specializes in this, thus providing you connective portal into your existing graphical workflow and structure. This platform can also be controlled by a producer so all facts and tweets can be reviewed before hitting air.

Brands and marketers should begin implementing plans for the approaching revolution in TV consumption. A good portion of the television watching population already accesses the internet while viewing the television. That number only rises when you include the addition of smart phone and tablet users. This will no doubt drive view engagement and online social interaction.

If you are a broadcast facility and want to learn more about Social TV, please contact us and we’ll be glad to help.

There is presently a rather large disconnect between what internet users want and what website owners are delivering to them. Let me explain. Statistics show that a majority of consumers going online today are spending at least part of their time looking at video. This is a major reason why YouTube is now the world’s second largest search engine behind only Google. Statistics also indicate that only 3%-4% of the millions of websites out there are currently using video. This presents a great opportunity for you.

Can you imagine in any given market only about 4% of the producers giving the consumers what they really want? This shows how slowly webmasters are adapting to the ever-changing internet landscape, and why you should take advantage of this fact. What if you were one of the 4% giving your consumers what they want? This is a perfect opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors and stand out in the marketplace.

In addition to being one of the first in your industry to use video on your website, videos also give you several other advantages:

• Ability to instantly clarify your message
• Ability to control 100% of your message
• Ability to communicate directly to your consumer
• Ability to reach a global audience without the geographic constraints of conventional television advertising
• Ability to connect with consumers on a deeper emotional level
• Ability to build relationships with your clients/customers faster
• Ability to close sales more quickly by building trust between you and your target market

With the use of video, you will be able to control your message and quickly build personal relationships with potential customers and clients around the world. It is the next best thing to being in the same room with your target audience, and it allows you to “be” in literally millions of places at the same time. This is like having large team of virtual “salespeople” working 24/7 to build your customer base faster than you ever thought possible.