While it is still linear TV
ratings that drive renewal or cancellation of shows, in the new era of
convergence between TV and social media, the size and impact of voting and
people talking about it for a show like Idols,
has become as important as the ratings, M-Net says.
The 13th season of Idols, the FremantleMedia format show
produced by [SIC] Entertainment, remains a South African television juggernaut –
not just maintaining its ratings lead on the list of most-watched shows on
pay-TV in the country but also showing immense growth in both social media
engagement between viewers and the show, and huge growth in the number of votes
cast.
What it means is that the so-called "stickiness" of Idols continues to increase and
grow.
Through social media platforms, people using "second
screens" – smartphones, tablets and other devices – while they're watching the
show on the "first screen", TV, Idols
not just manages to lure more and more people but also keeps them watching and
engaging.
It means that viewers are not just watching Idols, they're engaging with the brands
of Idols, Mzansi Magic, DStv and the
show's sponsors – which is exactly what M-Net, that runs the Mzansi Magic
channel, wants.
Idols that lured over a million
viewers for its just-concluded 13th season and that has been renewed
for a 14th season with nationwide auditions starting on 28 January
2018, is far from cresting as far as linear and catch-up TV ratings are
concerned.
Idols remains not just one
of the most watched shows on Mzansi Magic. In terms of linear ratings and the
number of DStv subscribers actually watching, makes it one of the most watched
shows on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform overall.
M-Net's decision to do a slow transition of Idols from M-Net (DStv 101) to Mzansi
Magic (DStv 161) by first doing a few jointly simulcast seasons of Idols on both channels before the
reality singing show became a Mzansi Magic only show, has paid off extremely
well in targeting a brand new audience and demographic.
The move also came at exactly the same time
as extremely fast consumer growth and uptake in mobile and smartphone use, as
well as data and social media app usage in South Africa – something that is
giving already successful reality TV shows like Idols a whole new and massive additional adrenalin injection.
The 13th season of Idols once again smashed voting records –
another indication that Idols isn't
going away from South African television soon. Over 30 million votes were cast
last week by viewers before this past Sunday's Idols season finale – a new record.
Over the course of the 13th season, over 98 million votes were cast – yet another voting record for Idols and Mzansi Magic. Co-executive
producer ProVerb says he expects the upcoming 14th season of Idols to surpass 100 million votes.
TVwithThinus asked Reneilwe Sema, M-Net director of local entertainment channels,
what factor the social media interaction – the massive voting statistics for
instance, play alongside the actual TV ratings in a show such as Idols and when
it comes to renewing it for another season.
"The social voting element is key because it
does prove the popularity of Idols,"
says Reneilwe Sema.
"The more engagement you have, the more popular the show is."
"The more engagement you have, the more popular the show is."
"So we look forward every week to see what
the numbers are that come in. And the more people who vote – it means the more
popular the competition is, the more intense the competition is, the more
engagement there is."
"It's very important to us," says Reneilwe Sema. "And besides the ratings the social media interaction is important as well because it means the audience is engaging with the show on a weekly basis."
"To track the consumers and what they are saying about the show, is very important to us."
