Nielsen: Weibo and TV programs influence each other

Social media and TV have a sweet relationship that is rapidly heating up, and for most people, the two are changing the way we watch TV. In fact, microblogging platforms like Twitter have become a place for fans to discuss their favorite shows. But are these tweets driving users to watch these TV shows, or are viewers just talking about the shows while watching them?

The answer is both. Nielsen's latest research found that the ratings of live TV shows significantly affect the Twitter discussion of 48% of TV shows. Programs with high ratings will drive the Twitter hot discussion of the program. The study also found that discussions on Twitter have a significant impact on the ratings of 29% of TV shows.

Discussions on Twitter have different impacts on the ratings of different TV shows. The most significant impact on the ratings of reality TV shows is 44%, while the impact on comedy shows is 37%, and sports shows is 28%. Drama TV shows are less affected, with only 18%.