From the final rose, to the winning performance, award shows and talent contests were the best at engaging viewers across social media in 2018, with ABC’s The Bachelor and Tyra Banks of America’s Got Talent leading Nielsen’s list of this year’s top social shows and talent.
The roundup is based on Nielsen’s Social Content Ratings measurement, which looks at U.S. social media activity across Facebook and Twitter three hours before and three hours a broadcast.
“Television is ever evolving,” Nielsen said when revealing the list. “While audiences have more ways than ever to watch it, they also have more ways to engage with it. Now, with social media apps at their fingertips, TV viewers are effectively also TV talkers.”
While content with singing, dancing and magic helped fuel that social chatter, dramas such as NBC’s This is Us and The CW’s Riverdale also made the list, tugging at the heartstrings, and leading to lots of Facebook likes.
From wrestlers battling in the ring on USA Network’s WWE Monday Night RAW—which ranked second—to witches battling the end of the world on FX’s American Horror Story: Apocalypse—which ranked sixth—the uniting factor among the top social shows was their ability to resonate with audiences and provide content viewers could chat about across social media, says Nielsen.
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Here’s a look at Nielsen’s lineup:
Top 10 Most Social TV Series of 2018
- The Bachelor (ABC)
- WWE Monday Night RAW (USA Network)
- America’s Got Talent (NBC)
- American Idol (ABC)
- WWE SmackDown! (USA Network)
- American Horror Story: Apocalypse (FX)
- The Bachelorette (ABC)
- This is Us (NBC)
- Riverdale (The CW)
- RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars (VH1)
Nielsen also realizes celebrities play a significant role in driving social buzz by tapping into their large fan bases and pushing out content for the programs they’re promoting. With thp at in mind, the company also ranked the most popular social accounts of TV talent that included cable new personalities—who generated some of the largest levels of engagement with users—as well as superstars such as Cardi B and Bad Bunny, who blurred the lines between the television and music industries.
“Overall, the bridge between social media and TV continues to open the door for different talent to engage with audiences, from movie stars like Will Smith all the way to TV hosts like Tyra Banks,” says Nielsen.
These rankings were based on engagement in the form of comments, shares, likes and retweets across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for three hours before and three hours after the broadcast of account owner’s shows.
Here’s a look at the company’s breakdown of top TV talent:
Top 10 Primetime Social Talent of 2018
- Tyra Banks (America’s Got Talent, NBC)
- Chris Hayes (All In, MSNBC)
- Cardi B (American Music Awards, ABC)
- Kendall Kyndall (Love & Hip Hop, VH1)
- Sean Hannity (Hannity, Fox News)
- Mike the Situation (Jersey Shore, MTV)
- Will Smith (Latin Grammy Awards, Univision)
- Lele Pons (Latin Music Awards, Telemundo)
- Kelly Clarkson (The Voice, NBC)
- Bad Bunny (Latin Grammy Awards, Univision)
Top 10 Comedy Social Talent of 2018
- Kristen Bell (The Good Place, NBC)
- Jess Hilarious (Rel, Fox)
- Jameela Jamil (The Good Place, NBC)
- Debra Messing (Will & Grace, NBC)
- Ted Danson (The Good Place, NBC)
- Issa Rae (Insecure, HBO)
- D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place, NBC)
- Tim Allen (Last Man Standing, Fox)
- Meg Donnelly (American Housewife, ABC)
- Neil deGrasse Tyson (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Top 10 Drama Social Talent of 2018
- Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Fox)
- Danielle Panabaker (The Flash, The CW)
- Lili Reinhart (Riverdale, The CW)
- Stephen Amell (Arrow, The CW)
- Madelaine Petsch (Riverdale, The CW)
- Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead, AMC)
- Josh Dallas (Manifest, NBC)
- Justin Hartley (This Is Us, NBC)
- China Anne McClain (Black Lightning, The CW)
- Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, NBC)
Top 10 Reality Social Talent of 2018
- Tyra Banks (America’s Got Talent, NBC)
- Kendall Kyndall (Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, VH1)
- Mike the Situation (Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, MTV)
- Alejandra Espinoza (Nuestra Belleza Latina, Univision)
- Kelly Clarkson (The Voice, NBC)
- Jennifer Arnold (The Little Couple, TLC)
- Alexis Ren (Dancing with the Stars, ABC)
- Howie Mandel (America’s Got Talent, NBC)
- Monica Brown (T.I. & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle, VH1)
- Porsha Williams (Real Housewives of Atlanta, Bravo)
Top 10 News Social Talent of 2018
- Chris Hayes (All In, MSNBC)
- Jake Tapper (The Lead, CNN)
- Sean Hannity (Hannity, Fox News)
- Katie Pavlich (Outnumbered, Fox News)
- Jeanine Pirro (Justice, Fox News)
- Rachel Maddow (Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC)
- Shannon Bream (Fox News at Night)
- Andrea Mitchell (Andrea Mitchell Reports, MSNBC)
- Ari Melber (The Beat, MSNBC)
- Chris Cuomo (Cuomo Prime Time, CNN)
READ MORE: Tops of 2018: Social TV
Tags: nielsen social media