Seeing Twitter hashtags on television shows isn't really a big deal anymore. Tons of shows throw them on-screen as the action happens, hoping to generate buzz and receive feedback from the popular social network, but American Idol is looking to take the experiment to the next level.
American Idol producers are currently preparing to introduce live Twitter polls that will display results in real time as the show progresses, potentially influencing the show's outcome.
According to the New York Times, the questions would be pretty simple. One example given was, "Do you agree with the judges tonight?" Two hashtags would follow the question, and, depending on your answer, you'd use one or the other to include in your tweet. The votes would show up on the screen as they're received, and the end result is imagined to "look like an online tug of war" between the two opposing views.
Although American Idol still blows away most of its nightly competition (the show averages more than 16 million viewers an episode), its ratings have decreased by about 50 percent over the last six years. The median age of the show's viewers is 45, which is 13 years older than the median age during its first run. The so-called Twitter "fan meter" is intended to generate excitement among younger users, especially since the majority of Twitter users is under 50.
"One of the things we've learned is that the audience loves to affect the show in some meaningful way," said Fred Graver, Twitter's head of television, to the New York Times. "The audience gets to not only choose the winner, but there are tons of side bets they can participate in via Twitter along the way that add dimension to the entire experience."
Whether or not it will work is another question. Would this feature be something that would get you to watch American Idol? Let us know in the comments below.
