Social media's link to TV viewing questioned

The relationship between social media and TV has come under scrutiny by NBCUniversal's head of research, Alan Wurtzel, who has said that the likes of Twitter and Facebook are not yet game changers able to influence television viewing.

In a Financial Times article published on Friday, Wurtzel cited new research on media habits observed during the Sochi Winter Olympics where more than 1,500 hours of coverage was broadcast.

Wurtzel said NBCU had expected social media to have a "dominating" effect on viewing yet just 19% of the audience took to platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

"A lot of people want to show that they are on the cutting edge," he told the FT. "One of the things that is on the cutting edge is social media...Why wouldn't I want to say to you, 'We have a potent new way in which we can drive ratings?'"

However, the researcher said: "it just isn't true...I am saying the emperor wears no clothes. It is what it is. These are the numbers."