When CNN replaced the aging Larry King with the younger, decidedly more British Piers Morgan, it seemed to be a gamble that payed off. Piers was an early success, garnering nearly 2.1 million viewers for his debut episode. By February, however, his ratings had fallen almost 76%, especially in the target demographics.
Now, the rollercoaster ratings ride seems to be on the climb, as Piers saw a boost in March, directly attributable to interviews with Twitter stars Charlie Sheen and Kim Kardashian as well as his Twitter-themed show with founders Biz Stone and Jack Dorsey. Statistics put out by Ad Age show that Piers himself is becoming quite the Twitter star, and it way be helping his fledgling show compete in a tough market.
Piers joined Twitter at the end of last year and as of the writing of this article, has amassed over 512,000 followers. Ad Age’s editorial partner Trendrr crunched the numbers and gives us a pretty clear indication of who is talking about Piers and how much.
Four months into owning a Twitter account, Piers Morgan has tweeted over 5,100 times. Many of these tweets are updates regarding interview guests for his daily show. He is able to use @mentions to successfully interact with celebrities, increasing his presence. Although he most likely has some help in maintaining his status as a prolific tweeter, most indications are that he is thoroughly involved in the tweeting.
@piersmorgan
Piers MorganOne of my favourite interviews so far on @PiersTonight – the fabulously funny, smart and emotional @EvaLongoria CNN 9pm ET #dontmissthisone
8 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto
@EvaLongoria
Eva LongoriaWatch me on @Pierstonight with @Piersmorgan on CNN at 9pm! 7 hours ago via Who Say · powered by @socialditto
Globally, the top five places where Piers Morgan is mentioned the most on Twitter are London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Manchester. As of late, 43% of his Twitter buzz is coming from the States, while 31% is coming from England. He is mentioned an average of 2,500 times a day – peaking at 9,851 times when he interviewed Charlie Sheen and 39,760 times during his Twitter themed show on March 25th.
Just for fun, Ad Age plotted Piers’ popularity on Twitter against Charlie Sheen’s. Though Sheen is obviously WINNING (forgive me), Piers surpasses him on numerous occasions.
Twitter has definitely helped other talking heads like Keith Olbermann, Glenn Beck and Bill Maher create considerable buzz. Can Twitter help Piers Morgan’s show stay afloat?
