Post-game wrap-ups have been a staple in the sports world for decades, but when it comes to dramas, comedies, and reality shows, aftershows have only begun to hit their stride.

In 2006 and 2007, MTV and Bravo were among the first networks to use aftershows to extend reality show brands such as Real World/Road Rules Challenge, The Hills and Top Chef. Once Andy Cohen started hosting aftershows for the Real Housewives franchise, things really took off, eventually leading to Bravo’s Sunday-thru-Thursday talk show Watch What Happens Live.

Today’s aftershows range from AMC’s Talking Dead powerhouse, hosted by The Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick, which generates ratings some broadcast shows might envy, to MTV’s Wolf Watch, to AfterBuzzTV’s roster of roughly 400 online aftershows for everything from Game of Thrones to Bar Rescue.

Don’t expect the popularity of aftershows to wane anytime soon. Fans love them, and networks love the brand extension they provide.

“It was always in the back of our minds to do some kind of aftershow, and once we saw the huge social engagement for The Royals right off the bat, we decided to move forward with a season finale post show on E!’s digital platforms,” says Jen Neal, E! EVP of marketing.

E! aired The Royals Wrap-Up show online at Eonline.com and on the E! app after the season one finale on Sunday, May 17.

“We were beyond pleased with the amount of streams the finale aftershow generated.” So pleased that the network hasn’t ruled out additional aftershows.

That’s similar to why AMC launched Talking Dead in conjunction with season two of The Walking Dead.

“We’d watched the first season of The Walking Dead [to see how it resonated with viewers]. After making many shows that had significant cultural currency, The Walking Dead was the first that truly ignited social media,“ says Joel Stillerman, EVP, original programming, production and digital content development, AMC. “The Walking Dead was obviously engaging a lot of people on social media, so it was a no-brainer to consider doing an aftershow when we saw all that energy going into the discussion of each episode.”

Talking Dead — which is televised live and counts Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype and a proprietary instantaneous polling technology among its interactive arsenal — has its own online aftershow, often referred to as the “after-aftershow.”

Unlike Talking Dead, which actually airs on the network, most aftershows, like The Royals Wrap Up, are streamed live online.

“As an online platform, anything online is within our realm, and we try to utilize those [social media] tools to the best of our ability,” says Phillip D. Svitek, executive producer, AfterBuzzTV: The AfterShow Network, which has had over 20 million downloads from 150 countries “We use social media not just as a platform to shove content down our fan’s throats, but to really engage them in a meaningful way.”

AfterBuzzTV was an early adopter of Periscope, an app that allows users to livestream what they’re experiencing.

“We came up with the idea to have fans film themselves while watching the episode to get fan reactions. That way we go into the aftershow a little more educated. We’ve got a pre-response about what they want to talk about and can cater to that a bit,” Svitek says.

Neal says E! leveraged its massive digital platform to engage fans from day one.

“Social media played such an important role in the show’s success throughout the season and was ultimately the driver for the aftershow.”

Airing Talking Dead live generates a sense of urgency, Stillerman says: “We think it’s important to capture that energy live, which is the best way to capture real interaction with viewers.”

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