Humans crave companionship, and one of the most popular physical representations of this can be seen through the act of watching television. In the early days of television, the television set was the communal spot for family and friends to gather and share in an entertainment experience. While this still happens, especially on big game nights or for premieres for shows like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, the advent of viewer personalization services like DVRS, video on demand and TV Everywhere brought on more flexibility and choices for people to find their own content specific to their interests and tastes, even if it differed sharply from those around them. Though this might seem to have created a fragmented and solitary experience for audiences, the human instinct for community kicked in, and with the rise of social media came the rise of interactive television. You never have to watch television alone in the new media age, unless you want to.
Data has shown that binge watching has grown since the arrival of on-demand services like Netflix, but Nielsen’s ratings consistently reveal that people still prefer to watch live TV. With tweets abounding during season premieres, most people would rather join in the conversation as it’s happening than arrive late to the party with a belated commentary. Again, it’s about enjoying the same communal experience that television has provided since the 1950s, just with the bonus of a second screen in 2015.
Before we head into 2016, we’d like to take a look at some of the top cable programs that dominated the Twitter scene this year, according to Nielsen. Because good storytelling and good entertainment that brings people together deserves a shout out–even if that gathering spot is the place you turn to vent when your favorite character is killed off, or gripe about that presidential candidate you would never vote for:
Top Cable Series on Twitter
The Walking Dead, averaging 424,000 tweets per episode
Pretty Little Liars, averaging 285,000 tweets per episode
American Horror Story: Hotel, averaging 239,000 tweets per episode
Game of Thrones, averaging 152,000 tweets per episode
Top Cable TV Specials on Twitter
2015 MTV Video Music Awards, 21,356,000 tweets
BET Awards 2015, 7,381,000 tweets
Fox News Republican Presidential Debate, 3,293,000 tweets
State of the Union, 2,598,000 tweets
CNN Republican Debate, 2,459,000 tweets
Top Cable TV Sporting Events on Twitter
Pay-Per-View Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao (Boxing), 5,858,000 tweets
ESPN Deportes: 2015 NBA Finals, 5,054,000 tweets
ESPN 2015 National Championship, 3,937,000 tweets
ESPN, ESPN Deportes: Rose Bowl, 2,564,000