Caty Burgess explores how the CW Network evaluated the success of its television shows over nearly two decades. From relying on traditional Nielsen ratings to incorporating social media metrics and digital streaming data, Caty explains how the evolving media landscape shaped their approach to measuring success. She shares fascinating insights into how shows like The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Riverdale thrived through massive social media followings, even when traditional ratings didn’t tell the full story. Learn how brand-building and audience engagement redefined what it means for a show to succeed.
Key Topics:
- Nielsen Ratings: The traditional method for measuring TV show success and its limitations with younger, digital audiences.
- The Rise of Social Media Metrics: How platforms like Twitter provided new ways to gauge interest and audience engagement.
- Digital Streaming Impact: Adapting to a shifting media landscape with streaming audiences and non-standardized data.
- Brand-Building Through Shows: Why some shows were considered successful even without high Nielsen ratings.
- Examples of Success: Insights into popular CW shows like The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, and Riverdale.
Quotes:
- "For CW, success was almost always measured in the number of viewers that watched a given show."
- "Social followings became a sign of success and interest, even if Nielsen ratings didn’t reflect the same numbers."
- "We had a meeting with Twitter, and they thought The Vampire Diaries was the biggest show ever based on the amount of conversation and engagement."
- "Sometimes a show that didn’t get the Nielsen ratings we wanted was still a success because it built the CW brand."
- "The media loved shows like Gossip Girl and Riverdale, which increased the CW’s market share and visibility."
