The most social reality show of last summer, VH1’s ‘Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta,’ is looking to make an even bigger splash this season.
Season 3, which premiered Monday night at 8pm EDT, will feature a deep on-air Instagram integration. ‘Check Yourself’ – the corresponding digital series to ‘Love & Hip Hop’ which features the show’s cast members watching and reacting to big moments – will be included during every episode of ‘Love & Hip Hop’ and will call for fans to engage on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and in the VH1 app.
Two times during each episode, viewers will see an Instagram picture showing the reaction of one of the show’s characters during an exciting moment. This will be immediately followed by a call to action for viewers to check out @LoveHipHopVH1 on Instagram to see the character’s unfiltered reaction. The reaction will also be available on Facebook and Twitter at the same time.
“Using Instagram as a second screen platform by tying bite-sized content in real-time to the drama happening in the show is something we’ve never seen done before, and a perfect way to leverage the great digital content we have,” said Dave Perry, Vice President, On-Air + Multi-Platform Creative, VH1. “We continue the experience by putting fan selfies on-air throughout the week. This is a great reward to loyal viewers, and an exciting way to engage with the fans beyond the premiere.”
If the success of the premiere is any indication, ‘Love & Hip Hop Atlanta’ is poised to be the most social TV show of the summer. The 8pm premiere was the top-rated non-sports telecast on cable Monday with adults 18-49, women 18-49, and women 18-34. According to SocialGuide, it was also the most social show on TV (both broadcast and cable) Monday night, including sports events.
The premiere produced 33 Twitter trends, and more than 250,000 unique tweeters generated a total of 1.66 million tweets. This was good for three times as many tweets as the NBA’s Clippers vs. Thunder game, which was the second most social show of the night.