by 
In the world of the self-serving research project, this is an all-time highlight. Facebook has released a study done in conjunction with the firm SecondSync that shows 60% of conversations about TV shows that happen on Facebook occur in real-time, as the show is being aired.
This, of course, goes to validate Facebook’s strategy over the last year or so of increasingly trying to be part of the real-time conversation, particularly around TV programming. That’s the same market Twitter has been going after in addition to dedicated “second screen” apps like tvtag, which recently changed its name from GetGlue. And it’s in line with an email that went out to brand managers on Facebook before the Super Bowl that encouraged them to give Facebook some real-time-marketing love as well as Twitter.
As much as it tries, Facebook is still having issues being seen as part of the real-time conversation movement. That’s in part due to its own positioning over the years, when it emphasized being part of the “this just happened” world as opposed to the “this is happening now” one, which is where Twitter was placing all its cards. So it trained people and brands to follow that mindset and they’re continuing to do so. Now it wants to change that, but it’s a hard slog and studies like this are meant to encourage brands to lead the way.
In an ideal world for Facebook, TV studios and networks are hosting live thread/open chat sessions while their shows are being aired, interacting with fans and giving them a forum to chat. And even more ideally, those studios or networks are buying ads to promote that such activities are going on.
The next study I want to see is what percentage of brands/marketers are actually actively using Facebook as a tool in their real-time arsenal and how that may have shifted and grown over time as Facebook has continued to make these appeals.
