Much of the social TV conversation centers on what is taking place during live events and sports. But as more viewers continue to watch shows on demand, and catch up with shows in-season, networks are beginning to recognize that they must engage audiences on social after the live viewing.
At SXSW this coming Tuesday, Tumblr’s Sima Sistani, Comedy Central’s Don Steele, NBC’s Michael Scogin, and Sawhorse Media’s Natan Edelsburg, will tackle this subject in a panel titled ‘Beyond Live, Why the L+3 Social TV Convo Matters.’
“In a world of cord-cutters and the cord-nevers, the digital water cooler must accommodate for on-demand viewing behavior,” Sistani, Tumblr’s Head of Media, tells LostRemote. “The rich media conversation characterized by fandoms on Tumblr is timeless, and the platform’s native social gestures allow that content to reach new eyeballs. TV shows and entertainment properties are not just preaching to the choir but also building a greater audience.”
While Facebook and Twitter are perhaps better suited for live viewings, Tumblr appeals to audiences wanting a social experience afterwards. Recently, Comedy Central’s ‘Broad City’ turned to Tumblr to make Lincoln’s (Hannibal Buress) ‘Al Dente Dentist‘ blog – which he mentions in passing during a recent episode – into a real thing.
“At Comedy Central, we know that our franchises go way beyond the time they are on the television,” Steele, Comedy Central’s SVP of Fan Engagement and Multiplatform Marketing, tells us. “We can extend story lines, go further on jokes and deepen our relationship with our fans. Tumblr has been a platform that the brings to life this new relationship we have with our fans.“
Scogin, NBC Digital’s VP of Late Night, who works on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’ and ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers,’ echoes this sentiment about Tumblr: “[It] is a great platform to go beyond the televised moment and allow these shows and the moments they create to live for days, weeks, months and years to come.”