In April at f8, Facebook launched four APIs – Trending, Topic Insights, Topic Feed, and Hashtag Counter – specifically for media companies. The goal, though not stated explicitly, was for Facebook data to be integrated more into telecasts, specifically, and, more generally, into the social data conversation. Not only would Twitter trending topics be mentioned a measure of a show’s social success, but also Facebook trending topics.
“TV is an important area of focus for us, and we’ve been investing in the space with new tools and resources for partners, like the Public Content Solutions program and our media APIs,” Bob Morgan, a Partner Engineer Manager at Facebook, tells Lost Remote. “The APIs we announced at f8 were among the most requested from media organizations, and help deliver great on-air and digital experiences using Facebook content and data. There has been strong interest from our partners in implementing these APIs, and we’re excited to help them create compelling Facebook integrations for their audiences.
Social TV company Spredfast is part of the Public Content Solutions program, and has become the go-to for brands wanting to build engaging social products for its audience. NBC’s ‘Today Show’ this week turned to Spredfast to create a Facebook integration for the show’s ‘Orange Room,’ which debuted in September 2013. Now, ‘Orange Room’ will feature real-time Facebook trending topics on an interactive touch-screen that Carson Daly will use during broadcasts. Daly will be able to tap into a topic and see related posts. This will give ‘Today’ the ability to comment on news that isn’t a day, or even a few hours old, but happening now.
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Discovery Channel, also through Spredfast, is using Facebook’s new APIs to integrate a weekly live-voting feature for the third season of ‘Street Outlaws.’ During shows, fans will be able to vote exclusively on Facebook for their favorite street racing team via custom hashtags. Viewers will be able to see the votes displayed in real-time during the show.