​A new study by Nielsen, by the media measurement firm’s own account, demonstrates a statistical correlation between a show’s ratings and the level of Twitter activity surrounding it.

The announcement comes as the two companies prepare to begin releasing the new “Nielsen Twitter TV Rating” this fall, a measurement of the volume of Twitter conversation about every program. For its part, Twitter is on a mission to convince brand marketers of its potential as a robust real-time ad-delivery platform that not only enriches the live TV viewing experience but augments it.

For the new study, Nielsen analyzed 221 total episodes of television, finding that a surge in Twitter chatter improved the ratings of a show about a third of the time. Certain TV genres received a greater benefit from Twitter; tweets around reality TV, for instance, improved ratings 44% of the time while comedy shows reaped the Twitter harvest 37% of the time.

While past studies from Nielsen have found a correlation between Twitter usage and TV viewing, this is the first to rigorously link Twitter buzz with higher ratings.

Read more about it at Bloomberg.

Brief Take: It’s hard to overlook the timing of this study, which coincides very conveniently with the coming Nielsen/Twitter ratings service. Does Twitter engagement really enhance ratings? Probably. Will releasing a study about it enhance Twitter’s revenue from advertisers looking to augment their TV commercials? Definitely.

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