It’s no surprise to us that social media buzz influences people’s viewing habits. We see evidence of it every day – trending topics that have people switching over to see what everyone’s talking about, and recommendations from friends and social media acquaintances encouraging viewers to switch on and join the conversation.

But it seems that, for the first time, research from Nielsen has found a correlation between the volume of social media chatter and a show’s ratings.

As TV ratings measurement gets more sophisticated – as surely it has to – and as online interaction continues to rise, there is a growing opportunity for production houses and broadcasters to encourage high levels of conversation and, of course, higher ratings.

It’s worth mentioning that radio is also benefiting from listeners spreading the word via social channels. One example is #thearchers tweet-along on a Sunday morning, with listeners regularly joining the conversation from their bed, kitchen, car or garden. Nielsen’s findings saw the highest levels of social media activity among “the 18-34 generation”, but they are by no means the only audiences with a voice online.

If you want to find out more about what we do, and how to engage with audiences through social media, get in touch.

Read our case study: Channel 4’s Alan Carr: Chatty Man