Before the arrival of social media the biggest interaction viewers had during a TV show was the expensive phone vote. Today, broadcasters are capable of reaching a much wider audience via a variety of digital platforms. 

One broadcaster leading the way in this digital revolution is Channel 4, always looking at new ways to produce multiplatform heavy shows, even if it’s getting people to reveal their privates via Skype pre-watershed; well, what do you expect from a broadcaster whose remit is to take risks and innovate?

We take a look at some of broadcaster’s most social media driven shows, featuring quiz apps to historic war updates on Twitter…

 

The Singer Takes It All
Endemol’s The Singer Takes it All is a karaoke competition hosted by Alan Carr, giving the audience the voting power via a free app. Viewers are able to decide the fate of each contestant as they belt out a number. Despite the first live show being beset with technical problems leaving both viewers and poor Alan flummoxed, the show was hailed a success by the broadcaster.  

 

D-Day: As It Happens
Broadcast across TV, online and social media, the unique D-Day: As It Happens told the story of the D-Day landings in real time, focussing on seven individuals who played an important part in the historic event. Each real-life character had their own Twitter handle, providing updates about what they were doing at that time in history. Poignant and ground-breaking stuff.

 

The Million Pound Drop
Quiz The Million Pound Drop proved a huge success for the channel, especially after launching the UK’s first play along app in 2012, which has gone on to become Channel 4’s most successful programme app. Created by the quiz’s producers Remarkable Television and developed by dual screen technology specialists Monterosa, the app has since been downloaded over 2.7 million times.

 

The Last Leg
Friday night comedy show The Last Leg factors Twitter into the show brilliantly, with host Adam Hills urging viewers to ask questions about the week’s topics using the hashtag #IsItOK, giving Hills and his regular co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooke a wealth of material. The show’s success is evidence by its Twitter followers, now standing at 116k.

 

The Secret Lives of Students
Another multiplatform heavy show from C4 was ob-doc The Secret Lives of Students. The series doesn’t rely on the audience at home for social media activity but the contributors themselves. Using cutting edge technology, the programme makers track communication between the stars of the show via mobile and social media, revealing the intertwining relationships of the characters to viewers.
 

 Contributors reveal all in Maverick Television’s Embarrassing Bodies

First Dates
For series one of this interactive fixed-rig dating show, viewers were able to visit the programme’s website and apply to date a singleton after watching them on the show. If a viewer was selected, they could find themselves appear on the programme the following week vying to impress over dinner.

 

Battlefront 
Youth campaigning show Battlefront got its young stars talking on social media way before transmission, giving viewers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the projects by sharing in the latest news, blogs and video diaries online. Issues covered in the sh