While the FIFA World Cup continues to break viewing records around the globe, a new record was set during Germany’s stunning 7-1 victory over Brazil in the semifinals. The match marked the most Twitter activity around a single sports event ever, easily surpassing this year’s Super Bowl. At 24.9 million tweets, February’s Super Bowl between the Seahawks and the Broncos set the previous Twitter record, while Tuesday night’s World Cup semifinal generated 35.6 million tweets during the match. Continue reading FIFA World Cup Sets TV Viewing and Social Media Records

In the 2013-2014 television season, CBS had five of the top ten broadcast shows, but none of them were among the top ten most-tweeted, possibly because it has the oldest median viewer age. In a report released by Nielsen Social, “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” were the two top series on Twitter over the last year, with “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Bachelor” and “Game of Thrones” following close behind. The ranking includes specials and moments that engaged the most fans. Continue reading Nielsen Breaks Down Rankings of TV-Related Twitter Activity

The first Digital Entertainment World conference proved to be an excellent opportunity for a quick dive into current key topics of interest to the entertainment industry. DEW was held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles February 18-20. Topics included the states of all major media verticals, issues related to reaching millennials, alternative revenue streams and payment options, current developments related to metadata and content discovery, and the technologies and costs associated with using cloud-based tools and resources. Continue reading Digital Entertainment World Conference Debuts in Los Angeles

How to advance broadcasting to its next iteration was the topic of two sessions at the HPA Tech Retreat this week, one a panel moderated by Ericsson SVP TV Technology Matthew Goldman, and including representatives from Fox, Sinclair Broadcast Group, CBS, CBC, PBS and Cox Media Group, and, second, a discussion led by former Fox Engineering President Andy Setos, with broadcast executive Jim DeFilippis joining via Internet from the Sochi Olympics. Continue reading Execs Discuss Era of Advanced Broadcasting at HPA Retreat

According to Nielsen estimates, Sunday’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLVIII on Fox drew 111.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched television broadcast in U.S. history. The overall ratings may have even gone higher had the game not been such a blowout. Last year’s Super Bowl on CBS averaged 108.69 million viewers. Sunday’s viewership totaled 112.6 million, when including those who watched on digital platforms Fox Sports GO and FoxSports.com, and fans who opted for the Spanish-language feed on Fox Deportes. Continue reading Super Bowl Sets Records for Game, Halftime Show, Social Media

Fox plans to offer a special one-day preview of its Fox Sports Go service by streaming Super Bowl XLVIII free to tablets and PCs. To promote the online and mobile authentication service, Fox will stream the NFL championship game between the Broncos and Seahawks, its halftime show with Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and related programming. The live stream will be available on Sunday, February 2 for iPads via the Fox Sports Go app and for desktop PCs at FoxSportsGo.com. Continue reading Fox to Preview Authentication Service by Streaming Super Bowl

TV commerce firm Delivery Agent will team with H&M to boost sales via the retailer’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial. H&M’s 30-second spot will feature the spring collection of David Beckham Bodywear. Delivery Agent’s tech will allow viewers to purchase products in the commercial through a special app. However, only a fraction of viewers will actually be able to use it, since the purchasing app only works with 2012 and 2013 Samsung Smart TVs connected to the Internet.  Continue reading ShopTV App: Beckham Bodywear to Sell During Super Bowl Spot

According to one ESPN executive, sports television is in a position to take greater advantage of technology and “digital disruption” — benefiting not only advertisers, but viewers as well. From the invention of instant replay and new platforms for a social, interactive game-watching experience, sports have led the way for innovative options for viewers to tune in and for advertisers to get valuable airtime, making the most of their ad dollars. Continue reading ESPN Sales Chief Says Digital Disruption is Key to Success

The National Football League and Twitter are partnering to deliver football highlights and related content through the social media service. Content will include in-game highlights from the NFL Network on Thursdays and clips from games after they’ve aired on CBS and Fox. The NFL will offer news, analysis and fantasy football advice. The move is part of Twitter’s Amplify program that allows TV content owners to integrate programming in Twitter feeds. The revenue from embedded ads will be shared by the companies. Continue reading Social TV: NFL Highlights Coming to a Twitter Feed Near You

Twitter is quickly becoming a normal part of the television experience, in that it is changing how people watch TV. Twitter is allowing audiences to interact with scripted and reality TV shows directly, as well as provide real-time commentary. Viewers of hit shows, such as HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” are looking to Twitter as a popular place for viewer commentary. As television is increasingly shared on Twitter, new business and viewing opportunities arise. Continue reading Twitter Changing How We Watch and Interact with TV Shows

Verizon Wireless will pay the National Football League a reported $1 billion over four years for the rights to make additional football games available on its customers’ smartphones. In a significant move for the mobile industry, the NFL will begin to show Sunday afternoon games on Verizon Wireless phones next year. Select Sunday, Monday and Thursday night games are already available on Verizon phones, but there are typically 10-12 games scheduled on a Sunday afternoon. Continue reading Verizon to Stream Sunday Afternoon NFL Games to Phones

The San Francisco 49ers are set to open a new stadium for the 2014 NFL season. When the Santa Clara Stadium opens, it will feature the best publicly accessible Wi-Fi network of any sports facility in the country. Every single one of the potential 68,500 fans will be able to connect to the wireless network at the same time, with no limits on uploads or downloads. Until now, such a feat was thought to be impossible. Continue reading New 49ers Stadium to Boast Simultaneous Wi-Fi for All

CBS released numbers regarding how many viewers tuned into its Super Bowl XLVII coverage, noting that its live stream drew three million unique viewers — a 43 percent increase from last year’s game. “With so many fans watching the action via the Internet, CBS managed to whip up almost 10 million live video streams, which is more than a 100 percent uptick from the previous year,” reports Engadget. Continue reading Super Bowl: CBS Sets New Records for Live Video Streams

Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast featured a compelling use of crowdsourcing. To promote its halftime show, Pepsi incorporated thousands of photos submitted by customers as part of its video introduction welcoming Beyonce to the stage. The promotion serves as another interesting example of the growing crowdsourcing phenomenon, which continues to generate innovative new business and marketing approaches. Continue reading Pepsi Turns to Crowdsourcing for Super Bowl Halftime Video

The 34-minute Super Bowl power outage caused a Twitter uproar, but while many fans used social media to make jokes, Oreo seized the opportunity to launch a viral marketing campaign. Oreo’s 15-person Super Bowl social media team reacted quickly to the blackout, tweeting an ad that read “Power Out? No problem.” The Tweet was accompanied by the image of a single Oreo in a half-blacked out setting with the caption, “You can still dunk in the dark.” Continue reading Oreo Goes Social for Spontaneous Super Bowl Advertising