TVLoop Network Finds Top TV Ratings Don't Translate to Online Viewers and Passionate Fans

TVLoop Community Buzz Dominated by Shows Outside of the Top 20 Nielsen Ratings

• Press Release
• Source: Watercooler, Inc.
• On 8:00 am EST, Tuesday December 16, 2008

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Dec 16, 2008 --
News Facts:

• The TVLoop community's internal data tracks more than 16 million TV fans across its applications on top social networks such as Facebook and MySpace as well as its destination site, TVLoop.com, and recent statistics find the shows generating the most buzz and passion among users are drastically different than those shows in the Nielsen top 20 broadcast and cable ratings.
• More consumers are turning to the Internet to watch their favorite TV programs online -- the Conference Board notes nearly 72 percent of online households log on for entertainment purposes daily and among online TV viewers, almost nine out of 10 watch online broadcasts at home. As these numbers continue to rise, so does the gap between online and offline fan bases.

How TV Ratings Compare to Online Fan Bases

• The TVLoop community's top 10 shows for the Fall 2008 season, as measured by user growth and audience engagement are:
  
  1. The Office
  2. Grey's Anatomy
  3. Family Guy
  4. Gossip Girl
  5. One Tree Hill
  6. House
  7. The Simpsons
  8. Heroes
  9. How I Met Your Mother
  10. Supernatural
  
• Of the TVLoop community's top 10, only Grey's Anatomy and House are ranked in Nielsen's top 20 primetime ratings for the week ending Dec. 7.
• However, from an online buzz perspective, seven of the TVLoop community's top 10 shows were on the Nielsen Buzz Metrics top 20 list as of Dec. 5 (Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, The Simpsons, House, Family Guy, Heroes and How I Met Your Mother).
• Fans of shows whose season premieres are scheduled for early 2009 are actively demonstrating their anticipation for new seasons -- the TVLoop fan groups for The L Word, Scrubs and Lost have grown by thousands of new users in the past month, while their on-air viewers remain dormant until the new seasons start.

Demographic Breakdown

• Animated series, Family Guy and The Simpsons, skew heavily toward the male demographic.
• There are a handful of shows with a fan base split fairly evenly between males and females -- The Office, House, Heroes and How I Met Your Mother.
• Female fan bases anchor Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill and Supernatural.

About TVLoop

• The TVLoop community is the largest online community of passionate TV fans and encompasses applications on top social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Friendster and hi5 as well as the recently launched destination Web site TVLoop.com. Users visit the TVLoop community to engage with like-minded fans, watch TV episodes online, play social trivia games, take quizzes and discuss their favorite shows.
• User growth is measured by a combination of week-over-week and month-over-month growth, while audience engagement is measured by the number of key engagement features used by members including trivia, quizzes and discussion forums.

LINKS:
Watercooler Corporate Site
TVLoop.com
TVLoop Blog
TVLoop Twitter feed

Quotes, attributable to Watercooler executives:

• "We've seen in the past that shows receiving the most viewers on broadcast TV are not necessarily the ones that get the most buzz online," said Kevin Chou, CEO of Watercooler. "With the TVLoop community, we get a clear picture of what social media consumers are talking about and which TV shows bring out the most passion. It's always interesting to see shows like Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill show up on our lists while not registering on traditional media measurement."
• "Broadcast networks are struggling to find a way to account for online versus broadcast viewership for shows like Gossip Girl, Lipstick Jungle and others, and the TVLoop network of fan communities offers a unique opportunity to measure buzz, engagement and affinity with TV shows and content," said Bryan Bennett, Senior Director of Marketing for Watercooler. "Not only are we able to track the shows and content users are embracing, but we can also layer in purchasing behavior via our partnership with Delivery Agent, as well as other key demographic and usage data."

Technorati Tags:

Watercooler, TVLoop, social media, social networking, Web 2.0, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, The Office, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, The Simpsons, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Family Guy, One Tree Hill, The L Word, Scrubs, House, Nielsen Ratings

     To arrange an interview and/or for additional quotes, please contact:
     Marie Williams
     Email Contact
     415-591-8416