Game of Thrones was the most-talked about TV show on Twitter in 2015
Game of Thrones generated more tweets globally in 2015 than the other TV show in the world, according to research commissioned by UK electronics retailer Currys/PC World. Game of Thrones topped the charts with 16.646 million tweets and 133 billion ‘potential total impressions.’
(What is ‘tweet count’ vs. ‘impression?’ Here is the difference as outlined by Hashtags.org: “Tweet count refers to the total number of tweets sent by an account, while the impression refers to the tweets sent that actually generate interaction or replies from others online.”)
Curiously, according to this survey, Game of Thrones was tweeted about far more than The Walking Dead (AMC’s zombie show came in 2nd on the list with 12.126 million Tweets and 63 billion potential impressions), yet The Walking Dead’s live ratings outpace Thrones’ by a decent margin. What does this mean? Game of Thrones fans are more passionate? Certainly the show’s gray characters and shocking story lines induce a lot of ongoing arguments, complicated theorizing and endless memes.
Another possibility is that a lot more people watch Game of Thrones than it appears from the live ratings. DVRs and HBO GO make program viewing so scattershot—along with binge-watching, busy schedules, and waiting for the pizza guy—that perhaps the ‘Live’ ratings don’t accurately reflect the number of regular show watchers.
Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead far outpaced Empire, which came in third place with 2.16 million tweets. Season 6 debuts on April 24, and Twitter, so the business community keeps telling us, is in decline. We’ll see if the show posts similar or better numbers once 2016 has wrapped up.