(This story appears in the 15 November, 2013 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Well, it's seriously a joke that Star paid 30 crore to buy #AajKaMahabharat on top trends for 3 days. I mean I can't help but only laugh on how ignorant the rival channel is who made the comment.. Sponsored/Promoted Hastags which stay at no.1 trending for 24 hours are bought at around $10000 a day (6 lakhs INR) And how much money is Star gonna make from Mahabharata, it actually sounds too rubbish that they will invest 30 crore only on one site. Please get your facts right.
on Nov 21, 2013I joined Twitter few months back and see that people are always twitting on tv programs and other people RT them. I know lot of stuff about shows from twitter. Sohini I also followed u but you have locked accnt and didnt accept my request
on Nov 21, 20136 lakh tweets for the first episode is huge. Social TV is becoming really huge in India too. While watching cricket you can see twitter messages and polls on TV screen. As you rightly said Twitter will be a force multiplier for TV. Nice article. We need more like these. Sohini - Do you have a twitter handle which I can follow?
on Nov 13, 2013Thanks. Yes, cricket is big on Twitter. My handle is @Mittermaniac
on Nov 13, 2013Just followed you. Will keep a tab on your posts on Social TV. My twitter handle is @edenrokey Want to be up to date on a \"Twitter on #Firstscreen\" product.. keep an eye on our website http://www.maxmytv.com/ Expected to release the product by February.
on Nov 14, 2013I am surprised to find no mention of the IPL and its deep integration with Twitter. It was probably the first large scale 2 screen integration and an article of this sort should atleast mention it a as a use-case that validated the two screen phenomenon in India.
on Nov 12, 2013That\'s right. But in this case, we chose to focus only on general entertainment and music channels. Sports is a different ballgame altogether. So is news. The advertising dynamics is also very different. This article on India\'s Twitter-TV nexus should be read in the context of what\'s happening in the US. Refer to this piece: http://forbesindia.com/article/boardroom/can-twitter-save-tv-(and-can-tv-save-twitter)/36465/0
on Nov 13, 2013Twitter is also the second screen for IPL. You get lots of updates on those days.
on Nov 11, 2013\"According to a source at a rival channel, Star reportedly paid Rs 30 crore for this partnership with the site. \" Hahahaha the source should be ratified at least ! Good article but sweeping statements at places and lopsided research. I think its unfair to say this - \"Given the herd mentality of Indians, if one viewer shares his experience, another will and many more will follow. \" Too superficial and racist in a way. What tools have you used to chose the most buzzed shows on twitter ?
on Nov 11, 2013Thank you for the feedback. As a journalist, it is my duty to protect the identity of my source if he / she wishes to remain anonymous. On your point on the racist statement: Herd mentality, in this case, is aiding India\'s TV universe. And hence a very positive thing in the story as demonstrated by Karthik Srinivasan\'s quote. On another note, Indians love to do what their neighbours or friends are doing. As the old joke goes... \"Jab ghar pe bijli jati hai, toh hum padosi ke ghar ki taraf dekhte hain. Wahan pe bhi bijli gayi hai, toh shanti se baith jate hai\" :-) And lastly, the shows with the highest buzz have been obtained from Twitter trends, top hashtags and data provided by channels. Unfortunately, there is no industry metric (a TAM equivalent) for Twitter in India yet. And we do mention that as well.
on Nov 11, 2013Sohini, we have provided the technology for \"Twitter on TV\" on Airtel DTH. As part of the project, we are also collecting TAM equivalent viewership data from a panel of Indian homes that can provide direct co-relation of twitter with TV shows - we just got our first set of reports. Lets connect offline (amar@brizzlabs.com) and discuss this forward should you be keen.
on Nov 12, 2013Hi , thanks for your response. I understand that you don\'t want to reveal the source but the amount you are quoting via the source should have been verified as per journalism ethics. I understand quotes are attributed to the source, which here is an unidentified person. This questions the credibility. Also, I don\'t have anything against the story. I have been keenly following the twitter TV engagement in India and I appreciate the fact that you chose to write on this topic. But again, the data on most buzzed shows is incorrect. NachBaliye 5 is the only show in India which trended worldwide on no. 1 position and created more than 1 Billion impressions on twitter alone. There are a few more shows of Star TV which has created enormous buzz on twitter but has not been mentioned. But I do understand the limitations in procuring data and capturing that in your story. However, good effort on the story :)
on Nov 12, 2013