 "Facebook to extend TV analytics reports to eight more countries, including India")
Late last month, it was revealed that Facebook intends to take its rivalry with Twitter one step ahead with the introduction of analytics for TV networks of the chatter regarding their programmes on the social networking website. Facebook has now announced that it will be rolling these analytics services out to eight more countries besides the US, including India.
Facebook will now start to provide details like user comments, posts and hashtags about particular series to STAR network in India, Channel 4 in the UK, ARD in Germany, and TF1 in France. The networks will not only be able to measure the noise created by programmes on their channels, but will also be able to use it to boost advertising prices too.
Analytics coming for networks in India (TV image credit: Getty Images)
Facebook had announced back in September that these analytics reports will contain information about which episodes were responsible for creating buzz on the social networking website and how many members participated in them. These reports will be meant for the networks’ eyes only and will not be made public.
In a blog post announcing the wider rollout of analytics, Facebook gave an example of what a far reaching effect networks could have on buzz created on the website. During Breaking Bad’s finale, over 3 million people generated 5.5 million interactions on Facebook. When Andy Murray became the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years, there were 29 million interactions on Facebook about the event.
With Facebook introducing tools like hashtags, embedded posts and trending topics to aid conversation in real-time, the social networking website is searching for ways and means to make all the data mined by it relevant to users and networks alike.
It’s interesting to see television being of vital importance to not just Facebook but also to Twitter when it comes to being relevant. Twitter too recently tied up with Nielsen to measure chatter about TV on the service. Facebook retaliated with two APIs that made it easier for content producers to integrate public conversation on Facebook into their shows.
Facebook has an upper hand as far as TV chatter goes currently, simply thanks to the huge number of audience it caters to. Unlike Twitter, Facebook is sitting on a gold mine of personal information. It has names, ages, locations and interests the data gained from these analytics that can be mixed and matched to see what kind of shows are popular with which segment of users.
As far as India goes, Facebook can capitalise on TV culture. Television is taken very seriously in the country and partner networks stand to gain a lot from Facebook’s analytics. The ball seems to now be in Twitter’s court to unsheath tools that can help encourage chatter in India on the micro-blogging website.
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