Television boosts viewership through social media

While traditional television viewers is decreasing, the number of those who watch TV through the Internet and social networks is on the rise. To promote interactive television, a seminar was held in the framework of the 35^th National Television Festival currently taking place in Quang Binh province.

“Gangnam Style” is a good example of an effective viral video clip thanks to its interaction with audiences. According to Chance Koh from Korea’s KBS Television, the clip has attracted more than 2 billion views worldwide since its launch in 2012. In countries with developed technologies such as the US, the Netherlands, and South Korea, television viewership through the internet and social media has increased significantly in recent years.

"Major TV stations in the world use Facebook or Twitter to add value to their programs. In Korea, traditional television viewership was once at 30-40%, but now it is down to 15%", Mr Chan Soo Koh, Digital content specialist, KBS Korea, said.

Mr Chan Soo Koh

VTV6’s “Happy lunch” is a successful example of interactive TV in Vietnam. The show has about 1 million fans on its Facebook page. Viewers can watch, express their opinions, discover behind-the-scenes footage, and even become part of the show. As of now, VTV shows have a total of 5 million fans on social media who often interact with their favorite programs.

"In addition to preparing technical infrastructure for interactive programs, we think the  team should also be multimedia. This means that everything we broadcast, whether on TV or online, should be thoroughly scripted", Pham Anh Chien, Director of Manufacturing Centres and Trading of Digital Content, VTV, said.

Social media and technology bring television closer to viewers; boosting interaction creates opportunities and options to connect with them. With 50 million mobile phones not yet connected to the Internet, the future for interactive television in Vietnam is wide open.