Reality Tweet

MTV, VH1, Twitter. Twitter? Yes. A few weeks ago, there were some reports that the social media giant may be creating its own reality show. Let’s just assume that Twitter will do it right, if one can really do reality TV right. Could it actually be successful?

The idea of joining television with the social component of the Internet, known as social TV, is nothing new. People have been going on sites like Peel, GetGlue, and of course, Twitter, to discuss shows that they love for years now. There are even companies that focus purely on measuring the amount people use social networks to discuss television.

So can a Twitter television show be successful? If the show’s content is entertaining enough and the company capitalizes on its own model, absolutely. Twitter’s already an established forum where people share their opinions about television. This means that those tweeters who view the show will already be able to discuss it on the same forum they talk about entertainment on. Twitter’s smartest play would be to ensure that the conversation can continue while a user is watching the show, perhaps through a tweet stream that runs alongside the screen (just spitballing here).

Finally, the biggest part of Twitter’s success from this reality show idea: more advertising. The biggest question surrounding Twitter has long been whether or not the company could make money. Through its own television show, the company would be able to open up a whole new revenue source and a brand new opportunity for advertisers to place ads on the site. Advertisers could pay to become a partner and Twitter could sell commercial break opportunities, or better yet, promoted tweets that stream while the show is going on.

Clearly, Twitter diving into social TV even further by becoming a content distributer could be a huge boon to the company. It all depends on how they do it. What do you think? Is this a good venture for Twitter? How would you expect them to implement it?

Original report: http://mashable.com/2012/07/26/twitter-reality-show-repor/

Blog Author: Eric Shulman, Former B teamer