NBC’s “Meet the Press” Focuses on Facebook

One of TV’s longest-running shows, NBC’s “Meet the Press” has started to meet its future – and that means social media.

According tog Digiday, “Meet the Press” started doing Facebook Q&As in which the show’s host Chuck Todd answers questions from the audience, occasionally using Facebook Live. On average, continued the report, “829 people tune in to the Q&As. On Sunday after the show airs, “Meet the Press” posts a 2-minute video distillation called “Compressed,” which have been averaging 53,500 views each.

“Todd runs a separate digital political news unit, which also was rebranded as “Meet the Press,” giving the brand another outlet to grow its awareness.

“The results have been dramatic: While “Meet the Press” viewership has declined over the years (though it’s improved lately and was in spitting distance of CBS News’ “Face the Nation” in May), its Facebook following has more than doubled to 321,297 as of May, well ahead of its closest competitor, “Fox News Sunday,” which has 200,965 fans, according to Social Bakers. “Meet the Press” is posting an average of 281 times a month, up from 50 times two years ago, according to the show’s internal numbers. Total monthly interactions on those posts have soared, too, to more than 115,000 as of May from less than 15,000 two years ago.”