Next TV: Social Media Activity Factors in Ad, Carriage Talks

New York – Social media activity is becoming an increasingly important factor in network carriage negotiations with distributors, as well as upfront talks with advertisers, a panel of top social media executives said at the Multichannel News/Broadcasting & Cable Next TV Summit on Wednesday.

Fox Networks Group director of distribution strategy John Choi said that audience engagement—which can be measured by activity on social media like Twitter and Facebook—has become a big factor in negotiations, especially with its Fox Broadcasting network, which has struggled in the ratings recently.

Choi pointed to the Fox show Bones, which doesn’t have particularly high Nielsen ratings, but has a strong following on Twitter and Facebook, which indicate it has a rabid fan base.

For the full story go to Multichannel.com.