Paper presented at the 2016 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Annual Conference, Las Vegas, USA

1. Measuring Fandom: Social TV Analytics and the
Integration of Fandom into Television Audience
Measurement
Allie Kosterich
@allkost
Philip M. Napoli
@pmnapoli
Rutgers University
School of Communication & Information
Annual Meeting of the Broadcast Education Association
Las Vegas, Nevada
April 19, 2016

2. Audience vs. Fans
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Fans are the most visible
and identifiable of
audiences
- Lewis, 1992
Fans are a form of skilled
audience
- Abercromie & Longhurst, 1992
To view TV is to engage
in a relatively private
behavior. To be a fan is
to participate in a range
of activities that extend
beyond…and reflect an
enhanced emotional
involvement…
- Bielby et al., 1999
An audience changes the
channel when the show is over.
A fan base shares, comments,
creates content when the show
is done
- Meeker, 2014 (Deadline)
Understanding fans is the
new superpower …
[Executives] have shifted
their language, now
targeting fans instead of
viewers or audiences
- Kresnika, 2016 (Variety)

3. Measuring TV Audiences and Fans
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion

4. Consumption- vs. Fandom-Oriented Approaches to Audience Measurement
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion

5. Genre
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Composition by program genre and
charting placement for different genres.
Notes: All figures are means, standard
deviation indicated as s.d.
*Significant at p < 0.01

6. Source
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
Table at left: Diversity according to program source (percentage).
Table above: Charting placement for different network sources.
Notes: All figures are means, standard deviation indicated as s.d.
*Significant at p < 0.01

7. Implications
Literature Measuring TV Audiences & Fans Results Conclusion
- Social TV analytics as stronger indicator of fandom.
- Traditional measurement is an incomplete portrait of audience behavior?
- Social TV analytics is reflection of efforts by programmers who can’t
succeed under traditional system?
- Audiences engaging in social media activity are fundamentally different?
- Social TV analytics as information source for programming and ad-buying
decision-making.
- Greater array of content?
- More competitive landscape?
- Greater diversity of successful program sources?

8. Thank You!
Allie Kosterich & Philip M. Napoli
@allkost @pmnapoli