Using Big Data to Examine the Relationship Between Facebook Engagement and Local Newscast Ratings |
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| Authors: | Rachna Prakash |
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| Institution: | School of Accountancy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, USA |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACTLocal TV news stations regularly post to social media, on Facebook in particular, in an effort to engage audiences, but little is known about the effect of this practice on newscast ratings. We examine the relationship between engagement on Facebook and newscast ratings using data from Shareablee and Nielsen respectively in regression analyses. We find that Facebook engagement does not cannibalize TV ratings, rather there is a clear positive relationship between the two. However, further analyses suggest that this relationship may be driven by interest in news events or other market-wide factors that result in both Facebook engagement and viewership increasing or decreasing simultaneously. |
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| Keywords: | Audience engagement broadcast journalism Facebook local TV news media analytics newscast ratings social media |
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