Spotify and Bravo have announced a collaboration leading up to the premieres of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules, and Thicker Than Water, and the partnership will make Bravo Spotify’s first U.S. TV partner to develop custom playlists for specific shows. The partnership is already getting tons of buzz.
The first sets of playlists will be available on the day of the each of the above episodes’ premieres, and they will be updated throughout the season by a music supervisor who will choose songs that reflect the character and the nature of the shows’ developments.
“Bravo fans are extremely passionate so we always look to provide deeper ways for viewers to experience our shows. Music is such a shared emotional touchstone that by creating these weekly playlists we allow viewers to connect and engage beyond the screen,” said Ellen Stone, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Bravo and Oxygen Media.
The partnership will factor heavily into Bravo’s social strategy throughout the seasons. Each playlist will be embedded onto the websites of each of the shows, and there will be on-air fly-ins during the premiere of each episode with calls to action. Bravo and Spotify will also engage in Twitter conversations with fans during the episode premieres, and will link directly to songs in the playlists as the shows progress.
This marks a big step for Spotify as it joins Facebook and Twitter in the daily social TV conversation. We spoke with Graham James, Head of U.S. Communications for Spotify, to ask him why television is important to the company, how they work with TV networks, and why they chose Bravo as a launch partner:
Lost Remote: Why is television important to Spotify?
Graham James: We want to introduce as many people as possible to Spotify and TV lets us reach a large, engaged audience. Streaming music is still relatively new and we want to continue to educate consumers on the features that make Spotify the best music experience imaginable.
LR: How do TV networks work with Spotify? What are the different ways?
Graham: We’ve worked with a number of TV networks in the Nordics and UK but this is the first time we’ve partnered with a TV network on this scale in the US. Bravo is really great about embracing new technologies to engage with their audience so they were a perfect partner for Spotify. Their programming has massively engaged fan bases and we are working together to connect their viewers more deeply with the shows they love through music.
LR: Why did Spotify decide to work with Bravo? ‘
Graham: Bravo gets it. They get technology, they get their audience and they get music. It is as simple as that.