Facebook key to social TV

Social networking sites are playing a pivotal role in marketing digital TV services and could be more important that network operators, according to an industry survey from Informa Telecoms & Media.

Over 20% of respondents to Informa’s Future of TV survey said that social networking sites like Facebook are best-placed to build an audience for paid digital content, compared with only 16% for network operators. Despite

Facebook’s minimal investment in TV compared with Apple or Netflix to date, the growth of tablets and the new trend for simultaneous multiscreen consumption means that Facebook is in an ideal position to take advantage of the social TV phenomenon, according to Informa.

Facebook‘s role in the future of television – as both partner and disrupter – is developing in several ways, according to principal analyst Nick Thomas, writing in new White Paper from Informa Telecoms & Media, The Future of TV: Strategies for Becoming Connected, Social and in the Cloud.  Broadcasters with good content are also well-placed to benefit from social activity, although not all genres will benefit equally, says Thomas. According to the survey, sport, news and above all entertainment are the best fit for complementary second-screen experiences. Movies did not register in the survey.

An extract from the White Paper by Nick Thomas can be found in the print edition of today’s Show Daily on page 24.