CBC has been chosen as the first Canadian broadcaster to utilize Facebook’s new tools for TV.
Dan Rose, vice-president of partnerships for Facebook, formally announced the partnership at MIPCOM earlier this month, telling attendees that a “handful” of global broadcasters would be able to access its Keyword Insights API and Public Feed API.
The tools will enable CBC to incorporate a real-time feed of public Facebook posts in its broadcasts, and measure engagement around keywords from specific programs. Because the Facebook platform is based around users’ actual identities, the partnership will enable the public broadcaster to understand the basic demographics and location of people talking about its programs, said a release.
CBC’s primetime series Battle of the Blades is currently using Facebook data to show support for individual competitors by geography. CBC is also incorporating fan photos and videos from Twitter and Instragram in the program.
Facebook introduced its new tools for incorporating its data in broadcasts last month. According to data published by Facebook at the time, between 88 and 100 million people in the U.S. are typically logged into the site during the primetime hours between 8-11 p.m.
