LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the results of a recent industry survey from Informa Telecoms & Media on the “Future of TV”, over 20% of respondents felt 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.
“Informa Telecoms & Media estimates that there will be over 100 million tablets sold worldwide this year alone. This explosion has fueled the growth in Social TV with many users already using Facebook, Twitter and other tools to communicate via their handheld devices about the content they are simultaneously viewing on the TV,” comments Nick Thomas, Principal Analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. “But this also creates an opportunity for broadcasters and advertisers: By harnessing the appeal of social media and connected ’companion‘ devices, they can create experiences which enhance – rather than distract from – the core TV viewing experience, and even improve the advertising experience.”
Facebook‘s role in the future of television – as both partner and disrupter – is developing in several ways, Thomas argues in a new white paper from Informa Telecoms & Media, “The Future of TV: Strategies for Becoming Connected, Social and in the Cloud”. “For broadcasters facing the threat of an on-demand, over-the-top future, Facebook can help enhance the value of live, scheduled programming. For over-the-top providers such as Netflix, Facebook can help viewers to both discover and build communities around on-demand content. Perhaps most intriguingly, Facebook may emerge as a major distribution channel in its own right. Much of its extraordinary growth has been fuelled by rich media content, primarily social games such as Cityville. If gaming on Facebook has started to plateau, then perhaps the next, even bigger, phase of Facebook’s development could be as a platform for consuming and sharing TV content.”
These issues will be discussed by Facebook at the Social TV World Summit in London in May. Karla Geci, Head of Platform Partnerships, EMEA from Facebook will be delivering a Keynote Case Study on Facebook Driving Social TV Engagement. She will examine:
- Directly integrating Facebook with TV content
- Partnering with broadcasters
- Emphasizing the relationship between social buzz and ratings
- Encouraging Facebook endorsements of real time content
As well as Facebook, the Social TV World Summit will feature an impressive array of speakers from the forefront of social TV strategies from companies such as Shazam, Al Jazeera, Foursqaure, Zeebox, MTV Networks, NBC, BBC and many more.
About Informa Telecoms & Media
The IP&TV Awards are organized by Informa Telecoms & Media (www.informatm.com), the leading provider of business intelligence and strategic services to the global telecoms and media markets. Driven by constant first-hand contact with the industry, its 90 analysts and researchers produce a range of intelligence services including news and analytical products, in depth market reports and datasets focussed on technology, strategy and content. Informa Telecoms & Media also organises 125 global annual events, attended by more than 70,000 executives worldwide.
For media information please contact Stephen Scott at stephen.scott@informa.com or on +44 20 3377 3313