Downton Abbey and Made in Chelsea among shows which see fans tweet during episodes rather than waiting for ad breaks
According to data released by Twitter on viewers' habits during TV programmes, Downton Abbey fans are among those who take to the social networking site during programme episodes, rather than waiting for the advert breaks.
Fans of the ITV costume drama are more likely to tweet about the plot or characters during episodes, as the number of related tweets spikes during the programme and falls off at an ad break, when viewers may have changed channel or shifted their attention elsewhere.
E4 reality show, Made in Chelsea, was also noted as having viewers who were particularly prolific on Twitter while it was on air, with the report stating one in four were found to be “actively engaging” with the site during most episodes.
The Twitter figures also showed that viewers of factual programmes were more likely to tweet at key moments of the programme.
This is in stark contrast to other dramas such as Channel 4’s Homeland, when Twitter traffic was found to peak at the beginning and end of transmission, suggesting it holds the full attention of its viewers.
The trend of tweeting while watching was also illustrated by the report’s finding that 60 per cent of British Twitter users log on to the site while watching television.
The report added: “Twitter users love talking about what is happening on TV; TV viewers love using Twitter to see other viewers’ opinions. Twitter is increasingly acting as the second screen to TV.”