The conclusion of the television season is marked by "May Sweeps" -- a month-long programming blitz by networks to boost ratings in hopes of becoming more appealing to advertisers. It is the time of the year for cliffhanger endings, epic mini-series and celebrity cameo appearances. While television ratings are the premier measurement for a show's success, traffic to internet sites corresponding to the networks and specific shows cannot be ignored.
For the week that ended May 29, 2005 -- the last week of Sweeps -- traffic to sites in the Television category reached 33 million unique visitors, the highest weekly total to date in 2005 and 49 percent higher than the same week in 2004. The websites of the four major networks, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, each saw dramatic jumps in traffic during the final week of May. Compared to the final week of May 2004, FOX saw its traffic skyrocket 172 percent from 383,000 to 989,000 visitors, while NBC experienced 114 percent year-over-year growth from 714,000 to 1.5 million visitors. ABC, however, led all network sites during the final week of May 2005 with 1.9 million visitors.
Driving traffic to ABC's site was the popularity of its top two shows "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost." The "Desperate Housewives" page received 341,000 visitors during the week of May 29, 2005 in which the season finale aired. This represents a whopping 847 percent jump in traffic to the show's site from the first week of January 2005, and reflects the sudden surge in the show's popularity. ABC's "Lost" also yielded strong traffic, jumping 141 percent from 58,000 visitors in the first week of January to 140,000 visitors for the last week of May 2005.
Other top shows from major networks also experienced traffic increases as show interest peaked. CBS' hit series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" saw traffic to its website increase from 108,000 visitors during its debut week that ended September 26, 2004 to one million visitors during the week that ended May 22, 2005. The FOX action-drama "24" increased from 189,000 visitors during its premier week that ended January 9, 2005 to 217,000 during the week that ended May 29, 2005 -- a 15 percent increase over the course of the season.
While total traffic in the Television category was up this year and a number of shows held a strong presence both on the small screen and the computer monitor, nothing could match the buzz created by FOX's "American Idol." During the week that ended May 29, 2005, which included its May 25 season finale, visitation to the show's official site IDOLONFOX.COM reached 2.4 million, a 220 percent increase in traffic from the 749,000 visitors during the week of its season debut on January 18, 2005. The week of the 2005 season finale produced 85 percent more traffic than the 2004 finale when 1.3 million visited the official site during the week that ended on May 29, 2005.
Despite being a youth-orientated, pop culture phenomenon, "American Idol" transcended all demographic boundaries, captivating people from many walks of life. In April 2005, three percent of all internet users visited IDOLONFOX.COM. Internet traffic would suggest that "Idol" was most popular with both women and men between the ages of 35 to 44, as they were 54 percent more likely to visit IDOLONFOX.COM in April 2005. Furthermore, male internet users between the ages of 35 and 44 were 56 percent more likely to visit the site than the average user, while 35- to 44-year-old women were 53 percent more likely.
Consisting of loyal viewers and active internet browsers, the "American Idol" fan base became a haven for advertisers. The show's three main sponsors, Ford, Cingular Wireless and Coca-Cola, received prominent display on the main page of IDOLONFOX.COM. The two most successful sites of the three belonged to Coke and Cingular, which created sites centered on more interactive content. Coca-Cola created a website called COKEMUSIC.COM featuring music downloads, games and a music mixer. During the final week of the "Idol" season, traffic to this site jumped 147 percent from 30,000 during the week that ended May 22 to 74,000 during the week that ended May 29.
Meanwhile, Cingular's sponsorship of the show's text-messaging voting system had an impact on its site traffic. During the final week of "American Idol," traffic to the Cingular site reached 5.5 million, a six percent jump over the previous week. More impressive was the season-long growth on the Cingular site, as traffic surged 74 percent from 3.5 million visitors during the week of "Idol's" debut on January 18 to 5.5 million during the week of the season finale on May 25, 2005.
It is no secret that major sponsorship of tremendously popular programming such as "American Idol" and other hit shows can yield strong results. However, as reality shows continue to be a fixture on American televisions, the general audience is embracing an interactive mindset. Viewers want to vote, share their opinions, create commentary and make these shows their own. The success of "American Idol" is similar because viewers vote and directly impact the result of each show. This interaction creates a perfect opportunity for the web to be used as a tool for the audience to interact with fellow viewers and the show itself. A prominent website related to a popular show can be a great opportunity for advertisers with a chance to reach both an internet and television audience.
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