NBC’s “The Voice” is a show that has revolutionized the way that viewers interact with their broadcasts. The hit show is on its 22nd season as of September 2022, and is hosted by Carson Daly. Throughout the conception to the expansion of “The Voice” universe, there have been strides made in how viewers are able to interact with the series. Shows like “American Idol” and “Dancing With The Stars” had similar concepts, but we’re going to analyze just what makes “The Voice” model so different.
The Voice Method
What I will be referring to as “The Voice Method” is the innovative way that this show has made connections with its fans in real time. This method has been proven effective, which we will get into as well. A few examples of ways that viewers can interact with “The Voice” are the Instant Save, Skybox, and the exclusive, personalized content that the network shares with fans.
The Voice Instant Save encourages fans to tweet their votes for the artist of their choice while watching the show live. The Skybox is the home for the show’s social content, User-Generated Content (UGC), backstage recordings, and more. Some of the personalized content for fans have users tweeting with the hashtag #ChairMeUp which can enter them for a graphic with their name on the back of an infamous Voice Chair. All of the above combined with various social media platforms, influencer collaborations, and interactive content bring their viewers to a whole new world where they can experience the show as if they’re a part of it. And really, they are.
Is it Successful?
According to The Shorty Awards, it is. This show currently combines current, post, and past events into their broadcasts and used that to highlight their interaction with audiences. The Shorty Awards hails The Voice Instant Save as “The most successful Social TV Integration of all time…” (The voice – the shorty awards). If that’s not a great testimonial, I don’t know what is. The platform that The Voice viewers are most often interacting with is Twitter, and taking a look at their tweets, likes, and interactions shows a laundry list of achievements never before made in Television history (Twitter 2022). In addition to this, their Facebook has the most likes of any reality Television series currently on the air, and their YouTube follows suit.
I think that what we can learn from this show’s approach to interactivity is the more a series involves fans, the more fun they will have. Humans long for connection, and what’s better than feeling connected to celebrities and some of the best singers in the country? Overall, the only aspect that could make The Voice Method better is ensuring that it continues into the next generation of social media like BeReal, TikTok, and others. Here’s to hoping these advancements in connection and interactivity inspire other shows to do the same!
References
Twitter. (2022). Twitter. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://twitter.com/nbc
The voice – the shorty awards. The Shorty Awards – Honoring the best of social media. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://shortyawards.com/8th/the-voice-3