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At this point it should come as no surprise that when television execs get together these days, the subject of Netflix, cord cutters, social or binge watching aren’t far from the front of their minds.
And so it appears to be this time around at NATPE, the annual confab for program executives that kicked off Monday in Miami.
Monday’s opening keynote featured Twitter global brand and agency strategy honcho Jean-Phillippe Maheu predicting that viewers’ second screen usage of Twitter will have an impact on ad pricing at this year’s Spring upfronts.
Since the kickoff of the fall TV season, Nielsen has been releasing Twitter ratings that rank how often a show is mentioned on the social networking platform.
“That’s going to drive some activity during the upfronts where programs with similar ratings may have different pricing based on the Nielsen Twitter rating, Maheu said.
He pointed out that people who are Tweeting about shows tend to be more engaged with those shows, since they’re not leaving to grab a snack or go to the bathroom.
“Advertising agencies need to stop thinking all viewing is equal,” he said.
His comments, of course, assume that someone is watching a show in real time, and not using a DVR or other platform that allows ad skipping.
In a separate session, Lionsgate’s Peter Iacono, managing director of international, said that the entry of more digital players in the original programming game will “open the door for a lot more production and creativity.”
He called the growth in content providers “really important for potential partnerships.”
On the broadcasting front, station groups are expected to be want more short-term trial runs of shows, rather than making long-term syndication commitments.
Frank Cicha, Fox Television Stations’ SVP of Programming told AdWeek that “the syndicated model is broken.”
Read More: Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Variety
Brief Take: The upfront’s this Spring will be the first major test of whether Nielsen’s Twitter TV Ratings will have a practical impact on the television business, beyond offering an interesting data point for fans and insiders.
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