Thoughts on the Viggle Acquisition of Get Glue and Consolidation in Social TV.

I have to admit, I didn’t see the larger players start to consolidate in the Social TV sector until after Q1 of next year. (Giving each platform one last shot at The Super Bowl) But the Nielsen acquisition of Social Guide seems to have accelerated the the process. Here are a few quick thoughts on what this means in the larger scheme for Social TV

1. Viggle wanted the team and network contacts Get Glue had accumulated over the past 5 years. Smart. The newer player in the space, Viggle, buys five years of hires, research and investment to have at their immediate disposal.

2. Investors in Get Glue wanted their money back (with minimal profit at this point) ASAP because the GG model and pivot toward EPG did not prove enough to see a long term profitability. (Although they won’t give up on the stupid stickers bit… as promised on their blog)

3. Smart investors and executives are admitting Twitter’s dominance and consolidating to try and make a dent in the Social TV market.

4. There absolutely is a HUGE EXPLODING SOCIAL TV MARKET despite what Mr Kafka thinks, it’s right there in front of us all, and it’s called Twitter, it can’t “explode” because too many people can’t / wont use Twitter itself! The “social tv behavior” is still mainly hiding in SMS messages, email, Facebook status updates and being squeezed into the square peg / round hole situation of Twitter.

Last February, Michael Humphrey wrote a post for Forbes called "Super Bowl Ratings Redux: Why Social TV Must Address The Twitter Paradox" where he adressed the still remaining biggest issue remaining in a Social TV breakthrough…

"One of the good arguments that Social TV entrepreneurs make is that conversation is only part of the second screen experience. We will move beyond Twitter, they say, by augmenting content. We’ll give users chances to vote, to glean extra information, perhaps even see new angles on an event that the average TV viewer cannot. This is an exciting proposition. But with that vision, they always add, “And we’ll give them access to their social networks, for those who want to engage in the conversation.” To not do that would be insane. But when they do that, they tempt their users back to the stream.

It will take smarter innovators than I to figure out how to navigate that paradox. But if companies can, they will be watching their ship come in.” -MH

It still appears nobody in the market has solved the “Twitter paradox" and the Viggle acquisition of Get Glue is further proof, but the opportunity in Social TV is still mind boggling if said paradox can be appropriately addressed. 

Viggle Acquires Get Glue As the Consolidation Dominos in Social TV are Starting to Fall

via Business Wire

Now That Nielsen Tracks Tweets, How Will That Change TV?

via Forbes by Michael Humphrey

Always dig Michael’s take on the Social TV sector. This is a fantastic “State of the Union” look at the current landscape. 

What Mark Cuban Really Thinks About Facebook and "How Facebook Thinks of Itself."

via Blog Maverick by Mark Cuban

“From a brands perspective not having to try to fall within the parameters of the algorithm (Edgerank)  allows us to post fun things, tidbits, information, anything knowing that there is at least a chance those who have a connection with us can see it and knowing that we won’t reduce our chances of the algorithm showing our post.

We should know better than an algorithm what those who like us actually like. It may well be that it’s a passive relationship. Maybe they just want to see the scores at the end of every quarter in a Mavs game ? Maybe they want to know what show is playing right now on AXS TV ? No one expects them to like, comment or share any of this. It’s just an information source. And can i just say that its really weird when Mavs end of quarter scores show up out of order.  Thats how smart the algorithm is.” - MC

Really “like” Mark’s take on FB. It’s now twisted sense of what it is, muddies the water for brands and users alike. aka When math goes wrong.

Why Your Brand Should Piss Somebody Off

via Fast Co by Austin McGhie

As Bill Cosby once said, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

Really liked this post. Have some guts, be authentic!

A-Listers, Meet Your Online Megaphone

One of many coming businesses that is starting to monetize the nw social economy is theAudience. A celebrity Social Media firm here in NYC.

Social TV Analytics Startup Social Guide Acquired by Nielsen

via Market Watch

Social media turn election night into a conversation

via LA Times

SAN FRANCISCO — Right after the television networks projected that he had won reelection, the first thing President Obama did was thank supporters — not with a statement to the media or in an email, but in a tweet.

28.5M public SM comments. Wouldn’t surprise me to see 8-9x this in four years. 

“In the 2008 election President Obama was able to utilize social media as a call to action and funding and gain a huge advantage over the Republican candidate who couldn’t match the online advantage that President Obama created.”

— Mark Cuban - from Blog Maverick