Twitter Offers New Dimension To Live TV
A number of celebrities have taken to live-tweeting while their pre-taped shows air — including Survivor host Jeff Probst, Mark Cuban on ABC's "Shark Tank," and Anthony Bourdain on Travel Channel's "No Reservations." The audience that has already sprung up on Twitter to turn watching their favorite show into a communal event can now interact directly with one of the people they're tweeting about. It restores the value of watching TV programming live as it airs at a time when secondary options from Hulu to iTunes to DVRs are draining the value of commercials.
MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
Well, now the stars of taped primetime reality shows are getting in on the conversation, and commentator Andrew Wallenstein loves it.
ANDREW WALLENSTEIN: Unidentified Man #1: In the tank, the sharks are ready to invest, using their own money.
(SOUNDBITE OF "SHARK TANK")
WALLENSTEIN: The show features entrepreneurs pitching a new product idea to a group of investors.
(SOUNDBITE OF "SHARK TANK")
MATTY SALAN: Hello sharks, my name is Matty Salan(ph), and my produce is called Wakin' Bacon.
WALLENSTEIN: Unidentified Man #2: Mark, are you really interested in this?
(SOUNDBITE OF "SHARK TANK")
MARK CUBAN: Unidentified Man #2: You really think cooking bacon bedside is a good idea?
CUBAN: It's a gag gift.
WALLENSTEIN: And the beauty of Twitter is that it's not one-way communication. Take "Survivor," where host Jeff Probst questions competitors during the tribal council.
(SOUNDBITE OF "SURVIVOR")
JEFF PROBST: Pavarti, is that just a known fact that everyone believes, which is Ozzy has the idol?
PAVARTI SHALLOW: Yeah.
PROBST: Ozzy, does that put a target on your back?
OZZY LUSTH: I mean, of course.
WALLENSTEIN: But here's another TV star who's always pushing boundaries, Travel Channel's Anthony Bourdain.
(SOUNDBITE OF TELEVISION PROGRAM)
ANTHONY BOURDAIN: I've had less than happy experiences with lizards in general and iguanas in particular. In fact, the last time I had it, I wanted to gargle with bleach and throw myself off a mountain.
WALLENSTEIN: He travels all over the world eating the craziest cuisines.
(SOUNDBITE OF TELEVISION PROGRAM)
BOURDAIN: When served it's usually with a fresh, crunchy cabbage slaw so popular around here, and it hits like a (BLEEP) brick, let me tell you.
WALLENSTEIN: But the networks want to pull people back to the original airdate because that's where they charge most for commercials. And how's that for irony? With a little help from Twitter, good old-fashioned TV can hold its own.
BLOCK: Andrew Wallenstein is television editor at Variety.
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