The platform that powered NBC’s #VoiceSave integration

By Natan Edelsburg 

Last month, NBC’s hit singing show ‘The Voice’ introduced a feature to give fans a seat next to Adam Levine on the judges stage. What is being called the ‘Instant Save,’ fans have been able to save a contestant during the live elimination show. After Carson Daly announced who is safe, he mentioned the three contestants on the hot seat; with his cue, fans then had five minutes to vote using #VoiceSave to rescue one of the bottom three contestants. To count, a vote must have used #VoiceSave (or it can be retweeted) and mention the artist’s first name.

The “Instant Save” was used on every live elimination show from November 12 through December 3. A social engagement platform from Telescope, the company NBC uses to authenticate votes on ‘The Voice,’ was charged with tallying the tweets in real time. The saved artist was announced before the end of the live elimination show.

“We are literally putting the power in the hands of our viewers, granting them a direct way to affect the fate of the artists competing during the live telecast.  When the bottom three are identified fans will have five minutes to save their favorites via Twitter, ensuring our strongest performers remain,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. “This invaluable partnership with Twitter exemplifies our efforts to have social media play a huge part in the structure of the show.”

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Based on the popularity of the Instant Save, the increased social engagement it fostered, and the ability it gave fans to directly impact the results of the show, the feature will almost certainly return and be further integrated into next season’s ‘The Voice.”

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