“If Twitter is the telephone, we’re the conversation.”
That comment was a highlight of Fortune Brainstorm Tech’s “Future of Television” discussion on Thursday—even though the person who said it wasn’t in the room.
No offense to the panelists on stage: Disney Media Networks co-chair Anne Sweeney, CBS exec Nancy Tellem, and NBC Universal’s Lauren Zalaznick. But the remark–which moderator Jason Hirschhorn said former MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath uttered to him–nails the point about what programmers must do today: Go two-way and way beyond the TV screen.
What makes a hit? TV ratings still matter, of course, but social engagement can make or break a show in this digital era. Tellem, who is senior advisor to CBS chief Leslie Moonves, pointed to Gossip Girl on the CW network (of which CBS is a part owner). The series, by measure of TV eyeballs when episodes premiere, might be considered a dud–or at least “a conundrum,” which is what Tellem called the show. But TV execs learned to love Gossip Girl because the target–young women and teenage girls–are passionate viewers online, via iTunes , Hulu, Netflix , video on demand, DVR, whatever. Plus, Gossip Girl‘s 9.8 million Facebook fans chat and tweet up a storm.
Meanwhile, on ABC, Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family have huge audiences who time-shift viewing via DVR–and typically skip commercials. Which is why Zalaznick says: “The DVR is the biggest legal pirate there ever was….We’ve enabled legal piracy.” Zalaznick, who oversees NBCU’s Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media, made the point that TV execs must learn how to make good money serving consumers who want their TV shows anytime and everywhere.
Moreover, building a hit is ever more complicated. Big social buzz—top Twitter trends, for instance–is less predictive of big TV ratings than it used to be, said Zalaznick. The reason? Social-media noise is getting so loud, it’s challenging forecasters. “We’re at a turning point,” she added.
So the TV execs soldier on. The web’s exploding social-media platforms–Twitter, Facebook, and other second and third “screens” beyond the tube—invite them to get a lot more creative with their products and build profits too. Meanwhile, Zalaznick reminded the group of the everlasting No. 1 challenge: “It is really hard to make excellent stuff about compelling characters that you want to see over and over again.”
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