Channel 4 signs Facebook API deal
Channel 4 will soon be able to monitor social media engagement around its programming more efficiently after agreeing to become Facebook’s second official API partner.
The Californian social giant first introduced its API (application programme interface) tools in September, with BskyB becoming the first company to sign up. It will be using the tools to show comments posted by Facebook fans during one of its flagship sports shows, ‘What’s The Story’.
Facebook’s vice president of partnerships, Dan Rose, spoke about the new expansion plans for the API beta programme at the Mipcom exhibition in France on Tuesday morning.
The broadcasters choosing to follow Channel 4’s lead will be given access to a feed with displays, in real-time, of all public posts which contain specific keywords. The offering will anonymously categorise them into demographic groups.
Channel 4 intends on including the posts it collects in its live sports shows, including its coverage of the NFL from the US. Experts also expect the company to use the tools to improve its news service by finding breaking stories and engaging with viewers.
Speaking about the deal, Channel 4’s head of social media, Ally Branley, described social sites like Facebook and Twitter as “well-established spaces” which allow viewers to talk about and contribute to the broadcaster’s shows.
Branley went on to say:
“The trial of Facebook’s new Public Feed and Keyword Insight APIs is an exciting opportunity to explore new ways of including viewers in both on-air and online experiences.”
There’s no doubt that social media is finding its way into every aspect of daily life in the UK, offering the perfect platforms for instant feedback, criticism and discussion. It isn’t yet known whether any of the country’s other major broadcasters will choose to collaborate with Facebook in this way.
Graeme has experience creating content for online sources and for the radio, and at university he studied Multimedia Journalism.
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