The Top 10 ‘Social’ TV Shows: Not What You’d Expect

A recent study from TVGuide.com reveals the “most social” TV shows from the 2010-2011 season, with NCIS in the lead.  TV ratings are no longer about just numbers; now tracking engagement, especially across social channels, is an important measurement for advertisers. As Mashable reports, the most social shows on TV aren’t always those with the highest Nielsen ratings.

While NCIS and American Idol are the ‘social’ winners and also ranked high in Nielsen ratings, Glee and Smallville each have a huge and engaged social fanbase, yet have relatively low Nielsen ratings.

Top 10 Most Social Shows of the 2010-2011 TV Season

  1. NCIS
  2. American Idol
  3. Criminal Minds
  4. Glee
  5. House
  6. Fringe
  7. Bones
  8. Castle
  9. Smallville
  10. Law & Order Special Victims Unit

Rankings from the study were based on TVGuide.com episode checkins, Facebook Likes and comments. The data shows how fans engage with their favorite shows, and which shows get the most social interaction.

Additional highlights from the survey:

Pre- and post-show discussion via social media is most popular, and Twitter leads Facebook as the more popular outlet for social engagement surrounding TV shows, according to MSN Money.

  • 62% of viewers using Twitter engage before the show airs, 69% after, and only 47% during the show
  • Of those who are using Facebook, 47% engage before the show airs, 68% after and only 24% during
  • Of those who browse social networks while watching TV, 35% of Facebook users talk about the show they are watching, while 65% do something else.
  • Among Twitter users who browse while watching TV, fully half said they talk about the show they are watching, while the other half do something else

Survey respondents share information about their favorite TV shows while watching for these top three reasons:

  1. Telling friends what shows they like to watch (77%),
  2. Helping to keep their shows on the air (66%)
  3. Telling their friends about new shows (57%)

Users can also update their social status with what show they’re watching via the “I’ll Watch” TV check-in button on TVGuide.com, created back in October 2010.  TVGuide.com has seen a 60% increase in check-ins and over 2.7 million total check-ins since the button launched.

This survey was conducted in April 2011 on TVGuide.com, with 1,586 respondents.  See the full report here.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR