Networks have been trying a “two screen” tactic for a couple of years now. You’ve seen it everywhere, even if you don’t remember it. That hashtag at the bottom of your favorite show? That’s the “two-screen” concept at work.
Basically, social engagement with television is what is being pushed. Anytime Anderson Cooper asks you to follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or American Idol tells you to tweet about the performances (and gives you a special hashtag to use in the process), they’re promoting multiple-screen viewing. The idea is that you’re engaged on your computer, smartphone, or tablet and your TV simultaneously.
Well, it looks like sports have the whole social/TV engagement thing on lockdown – as 83% of sports fans say they check sports related social media pages while watching the game on TV.
That’s just one of the many interesting things in this infographic from sport medicine company KT Tape. It’s called “Game Change,” and looks at various ways the world of social media is bleeding into the world of sports, and vice versa.
For one, we learn that soccer star Kaka is the most followed athlete on Twitter. The graphic says that he boasts just over 9.8 million followers – that number is actually up over 10 million as of today.
And do you want to know just how fast you can increase your Twitter clout? Just ask Jeremy Lin who rode Linsanity from 28K followers to 600K followers in just one month.
Last but not least, they take a look at the ways in which athletes can get themselves in trouble on social media. It’s a completely open channel, and that openness has gotten some high-profile stars in hot water. Check out the full infographic below: