A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WE tv

Cynopsis Media presents:
Demographics of Women
by Daisy Whitney
10.06.11

Good morning. It’s Thursday, October 6, 2011, and this is a special edition on the Demographics of Women. This report explores the latest trends on women’s television and multiplatform use, particularly their engagement with Social Media and that’s engagement on television viewing. As always with any special edition, we hope you find the information relevant, interesting and informative, and encourage your feedback.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WE tv

Women

As networks refine their strategies for programming to and reaching women, one thing has become clear in the last year – a precise social media strategy is vital. Networks from WE tv to Oxygen to Lifetime, as well as entertainment networks that also do well with female viewers, such as E!, have woven social media into their marketing tactics and the result is often a boost in ratings and awareness.

But social media is just one aspect of reaching women. A cornerstone of any TV marketing strategy for women is that it drive that demo to the type of shows they like. Increasingly, networks are finding that comedies for women are clicking, as are shows that depict the modern lives women today are living.
        

What Women Want to Watch
        
“We are starting to see with women and men that a lot of the tastes are blending, whether for sports of comedy or something that may have been a more traditional male genre, you are now seeing it become a more adult genre,” said Cyndi McClellan, President of Network Strategy and E! News for E! Entertainment. She pointed to E! Shows such as Chelsea Lately and The Soup in the comedy vein, as well as The Kardashians. Though the reality show is not billed as a comedy, per se, there is a lot of humor in the show, she said.

In addition, women in comedy have raised their profiles in the last year. That includes Kristen Wiig and her successful hit film Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy on the Emmys with funnywoman Jane Lynch hosting, and the rising star of comedienne Whitney Cummings. “You are seeing women and comedy as a trend and it’s getting more conversation now,” McClellan said. Underscoring the comedy focus, McClellan said she has found that the stories on E! Online written with a wink or a little more humor, tend to get passed around more and picked up by partner site.

WE tv, meanwhile, contends women want to watch shows reflecting their lives, whether it’s a blended family, single family, divorced, same sex or other type of family. “We are trying to show this in a way that is unfiltered,” said Kim Martin, President and General Manager of WE tv. Shows like Braxton Family Values and Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best? reflect that trend, she said.

Female viewers also want to feel connected to the shows and the talent and that’s where social media comes into play. That’s why the network launched in June a dual-screen online viewing experience that showcases both a program and social conversations about it. Called WE tv Sync, it is a live, real-time social TV experience on WEtv.com that lets users follow the Twitter conversation surrounding a show as well as Facebook posts, polls, exclusive video clips and sweepstakes.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WE tv

Social Media Boosts Ratings

Across the women’s demo, social media usage is up.

WE tv conducted a survey in July digging into the use of social media amongst its viewers and found about 60% of Women 18-54 and 70% of WE tv viewers have used Facebook or YouTube in relation to TV programming. About 58% of women Facebook users who are 18-54 have used the social network to follow and get information about TV networks or shows they like. About 69% of those users have “liked” a network or show page and nearly one-third have recommended a TV show to their Facebook friends. Many female Twitter users are following the stars of TV shows on Twitter and about 39% of women 18-54 said they’ll check out a show if a friend recommends it on a social site.

Those numbers underscore the reach of social media but also its importance among women TV viewers. “Social media is an extremely valuable piece of growing the brand, particularly with young women. Women are very busy and they’re working outside of the home and they want to find something they are engaged with,” Martin said. “It increases engagement with our characters and shows and we feel it’s strongly driving our viewership.”

Young women are also “power users” of platforms like Facebook and many are also obsessed with TV, said Jennifer Kavanagh, Senior VP of Digital at Oxygen Media. Social media is a way to reward viewers and to strengthen the relationship with them.

“Social platforms offer us ways to deliver talent, content and exclusive experiences in a way we never could before, and in a way only a network can. Oxygen has done this successfully through our co-viewing experience, OxygenLive, as well as with emerging platforms like GetGlue that allow us to reward our audience for checking into our shows with exclusive stickers,” she said, adding that the network’s The Glee Project became the 8th most checked into show of the summer on GetGlue, and fans who shared their checkins on social networks generated more than 40 million earned media impressions for the show. “This type of social currency created incredible value for the show and Verizon as its sponsor,” she said. The show nearly tripled in total viewers over its run.

The network also reports that about half of respondents to a 2010 social survey conducted by Oxygen said they started watching a show after hearing about it on Facebook or Twitter.
        

New Media and Traditional Viewing Combined

Even as new viewing platforms abound, traditional TV is still robust. Traditional TV viewing has been extremely consistent among women for the past five years, despite the increase of video across new platforms including online, mobile, and tablets, said Mike Greco, Executive VP of Strategic Insights at A+E Networks, which operates Lifetime.

But social media and new media are playing their part in maintaining that strong viewership. For instance, Lifetime’s Facebook page as well as individual show pages now total more than 3.5 million fans. Greco also pointed to data from Harris Interactive finding that 68% of women now communicate via social media, compared to 54% of men.

“When two down thirds of your audience is demonstrating a behavior, it’s critical to speak to them on that platform,” he said. “Since ‘new media’ is not fragmenting traditional TV viewing, women are consuming more television and media then ever before, and women are consuming television and media at multiple touchpoints depending up where they are, what else they are doing, and how they want to engage.” 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WE tv

Later  — Daisy
Daisy Whitney for Cynopsis Media
10.06.11

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