In an era of escalating social media usage worldwide, TV channels have a unique opportunity to harness these platforms to foster engagement and expand their audience base. The integration of live TV channel feeds with social media platforms has gained remarkable popularity among viewers, enabling them to enjoy their favorite shows while remaining connected with their online communities. This comprehensive blog delves into the myriad benefits of social integration for live TV channels, highlights best practices, and showcases inspiring success stories.
In a recent blog post by Deyan Georgiev titled “How Much Time Do People Spend on Social Media in 2023?” (source: https://techjury.net/blog/time-spent-on-social-media/#gref), staggering statistics emerge. As of January 2023, a remarkable 5.16 billion people, equivalent to 64.4% of the global population, were utilizing the Internet. Of this massive number, a staggering 4.76 billion individuals actively engaged in social media, reflecting a noteworthy increase from the previous year’s 4.62 billion.
These trends extend even further when examining screen time habits among younger demographics. Notably, tweens aged 8 to 12 increased their daily screen time from 4 hours and 44 minutes to an average of 5 hours and 33 minutes. Similarly, teenagers aged 13 to 18 witnessed a rise from 7 hours and 22 minutes to an average of 8 hours and 39 minutes in 2022. These statistics underline the pervasive influence of social media and underscore the pressing need for TV channels to embrace social integration as a means to captivate their target audience and promote engagement.
It is widely recognized that a staggering 74% of viewers actively utilize social media while watching TV. These compelling figures emphasize the criticality of integrating TV channel feeds with social media platforms, fostering deeper engagement and fueling audience growth.
Social integration of live TV channel feeds opens up a world of possibilities for TV channels, empowering them to achieve their engagement and growth objectives. By seamlessly blending their feeds with popular social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, channels can offer viewers real-time updates, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and interactive experiences. Furthermore, viewers can effortlessly share their favorite TV moments with friends and followers, generating a captivating buzz around the channel and amplifying its visibility.
Recognizing the surging demand for social integration solutions, our team developed an innovative solution named iKOLIVE. This pioneering tool seamlessly integrates with social platforms, streaming live feeds from TV channels directly onto them. In addition, iKOLIVE enables the embedding of social media buttons on websites and apps, simplifying the process for users to follow and share compelling content.
To further heighten engagement levels, leveraging interactive elements such as hashtags, polls, and quizzes during live broadcasts can prove highly effective. A prime illustration of this was observed during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, where MTV integrated a live Twitter feed into their broadcast. This immersive integration empowered viewers to engage in real-time conversations and actively vote for their favorite artists. The outcome was astounding, with engagement levels soaring and the hashtag #VMAs trending worldwide.
Beyond enhanced engagement, integrating live TV channel feeds with social media platforms delivers invaluable insights into viewers’ preferences and behaviors. By actively monitoring social media activity related to their channels, TV executives gain a profound understanding of their audience’s interests, needs, and opinions. This wealth of information can be effectively utilized to tailor programming and marketing strategies, delivering content that precisely resonates with the audience’s desires and aspirations.
Moreover, social media platforms wield substantial power as potent tools for fundraising and charitable initiatives. By seamlessly integrating TV channel feeds with social media during charity events or telethons, channels can inspire viewers to contribute and actively participate in noble causes. Our specialized solution, iKOCONNECT, has been developed to cater to channels dedicated to promoting social causes or religion-based initiatives. iKOCONNECT facilitates seamless community connection by incorporating a “follow me” layer within the feed, complete with a dedicated QR code and call center phone number. Supporters can easily scan the code to donate, engage, and unite in prayer from any location.
In summary, the social integration of live TV channel feeds unlocks an array of benefits for TV channels, including heightened engagement, audience expansion, invaluable insights into viewer preferences and behaviors, and successful fundraising endeavors. By incorporating best practices, such as leveraging hashtags and interactive elements, TV channels can maximize the transformative power of social integration, delivering unforgettable experiences for their viewers
“ I firmly believe that our innovative solutions effectively address the pressing needs of TV networks, answering their imperative to establish a strong social media presence. By achieving this crucial objective, TV channels can seamlessly deliver captivating content to their viewers while simultaneously reaping the rewards of effective monetization strategies.”BY RAMI GOLDBERG
