Netflix’s successful foray into traditional TV has caused the industry to question what a “success” really means in an environment where Nielsen ratings don’t matter and views aren’t released publicly. An extremely important and interesting piece of the show’s rise in popularity and buzz has to do with the uber-shareable news, meme and entertainment site BuzzFeed. If you’re a fan of Orange Is the New Black (Netflix’s summer hit) and happen to read content on the internet, there’s a good chance you read one of BuzzFeed‘s 25 posts on Jenji Kohan (creator of Weeds) dramedy based on @Piper‘s real life experiences.
Since the show’s lunch BuzzFeed has published over 25 stories about Black and over 1 million visits to these stories came from social, proving how important their opinions on the show were to discussions on Facebook, Twitter and more. Jace Lacob, BuzzFeed’s Entertainment Editorial Director explained the importance of the show to Lost Remote.
Orange Is The New Black resonates strongly with a lot of different people, whether it’s women, the LGBT community, members of dramatically under-represented groups on television, or just lovers of quality drama. Jenji Kohan’s show captures a rare vibrancy and unique voice, one that is lacking in the largely homogenized television landscape at the moment. Add to this some well-crafted writing and stellar acting from the show’s superlative cast and you have the makings of an original and compelling drama, one that BuzzFeed’s writers — and readers — have embraced. At BuzzFeed, we pride ourselves on being ahead of the conversation and OITNB is no exception. Having discovered the show very early on, we’ve been able to further dive into deeper elements of the show that aren’t being covered in such detail at other outlets. And we’re glad that our audience is as enamored with the show as much as we are.
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As Netflix changes the medium in which highly produced TV content is viewed alternative sources are going to be essential to just success. BuzzFeed now has the opportunity to gain exclusives about the show (note, it’s a spoiler if you haven’t watched). Netflix also has an opportunity to leverage this for season two with sponsored posts and hilarious research, that they’re already good at. Here’s the breakdown of BuzzFeed articles about the show.
The most socially shared posts (be prepared for spoilers) were 23 Surprising Facts About “Orange Is The New Black” from July 30th with 847,000 total views and 540,000 social views, and Laura Prepon Is Leaving “Orange Is The New Black” (For Now, At Least) from August 14th with 309,000 total views and 157,000 social views.
From Lauren Yapalater’s BuzzFeed article.