Viacom Gets the Picture

Instead of the usual “go to the website and talk about what I find there” approach I have taken for the first 5 networks I have talked about, I am going to look elsewhere to see what Comedy Central is doing in the realm of social media.  I looked on Smart Brief to see what what I could find.

Smart Brief listed pages of press releases by and about Comedy Central. The first release I clicked on taught me something very interesting, not just about Comedy Central, but about all of the networks I have researched so far. Part of the release’s boiler talked a little bit about the company that owns the network, Viacom. The article listed some of the other networks owned by Viacom, including CMT and Nickelodeon. I did a little more research and found out that Viacom also owns BET. This explains a lot. All of the Viacom networks have been the ones that have effectively used social media on their website, while the only network not owned by Viacom (Food Network) has been the only one lacking. This means that Viacom, being the entertainment conglomerate that it is, probably holds its networks to a certain standard in communication and media.

I next went to the Viacom website to see what I could find there. Because it was the subject of the class lecture today, the Investor Relations tab immediately caught my eye. I was a little surprised to find that there was NOT a video annual report, though there was a lot of downloadable information (all in PDF). They do provide excellent contact information, which I have learned is crucial to an effective website.

Back to Comedy Central, the most interesting thing I found on their website in terms of social media is an application that allows viewers to upload their own stand up comedy videos for the chance to be aired on television. I think this is a great way to drive traffic to your website. If someone sees one of the videos on TV and is interested in commenting or seeing more, they have to go to the website.

On a partially related note, I would like to wish a happy 10th birthday to one of my favorite Nickelodeon characters, Spongebob Squarepants. I remember way back when the show first started (when, you might remember, the Nickelodeon website was not equipped with so much social media…)

July 15, 2009 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Comedy Central, Investor Relations, Smart Brief, Social Media, Viacom | 1 Comment »