Facebook are giving some serious pokes to the TV industry regarding joining up for a television–social experience which if comes to light, would bring TV guides and reminders together with chat and “water-cooler” banter.
In recent months you have probably noticed friends using a “check-in” feature called Facebook Places – a stalker-friendly addition to the Facebook mobile app which lets naive friends give away their location to every friend or freak on their list.
If Facebook gets its way with the TV biz, broadcasters may get to do something very similar with their shows and broadcasts, with the Facebook massive allowed to “check-in” to programmes like television “events”. This would allow friends to share what they are tuning in to, and as Facebook suggests, combining Electronic Programming Guides with Facebook Places would promote and create growth for both the TV industry and the social aspect of being a viewer.
“You begin to create these hubs where you can take the passionate screaming and bring them together, because you realise that 10 of your friends are watching Top Gear at the same time,” says Christian Hernandez Gallardo, Head of International Business, adding “We’ve talked to broadcasters about putting their whole EPG as events on Facebook, and letting people RSVP to them to get a reminder.”
The plan would essentially mean that if you like Family Guy, for instance, you could set up a programme guide with the mobile app so you never miss an episode. When Family Guy starts you could “watch” the show, as you would “attend” an event or “check-in” to a location. Your mates would be made aware that you’re watching Family Guy and hopefully flip channels and also watch the show and you can chat all about it – should you wish to.
There’s potential to work here, but obviously you’d need to be a little obsessed with Facebook and be logged in quite a lot to get all your notifications for multiple TV shows and we’re quite sure that’s the type of people this scheme would be aimed at – mindless drones permanently plugged into the online cataloguing, sorry.. “Social Networking” site.
With that in mind, Facebook and television hand-in-hand? Kind of makes sense when you think about it.
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