12 December 2013 [LONDON] – Jessie J’s tense live charity head shave lands 2013’s top TV moment with 1.5 million tweets. It was a close shave between this year’s most tweeted TV moments, as Jessie J’s appearance on Comic Relief pipped Harry Styles at the Brits, to the top spot. Research from Freeview, the UK’s biggest TV provider, has revealed the top ten TV moments that had fans tweeting the most this year.
By analysing online conversations during TV programmes, the research has determined exactly what pushes audiences’ buttons when it comes to good, quality entertainment. And it seems the average viewer revels in the misfortune and embarrassment highlighted so well in reality shows.
Since the rise in popularity of reality and structured reality TV (e.g. X Factor and Made in Chelsea), audiences’ appetites haven’t waned as viewers remain captivated by the spontaneous and unashamed antics of their favourite characters and personalities. Whether it’s rejoicing in Simon Cowell’s fall from grace when egged on stage at the Britain’s Got Talent Live Final or following with intrigue the awkward faces of Harry Styles and Taylor Swift at the Brit Awards – it seems what really gets us going is unadulterated human interaction.
Freeview’s Marketing Communications Director, Guy North commented: “Last year, the Olympics dominated social conversation about TV, so we wanted to find out which moments really brought the nation together this year. All of the programmes in the top ten were available subscription-free and could be enjoyed by everyone. TV unites people, it always has done, so it’s great to see this passion transcend into online conversation.”
British drama series claimed nine out of the ten top drama moments, highlighting the strength of originated TV content in the UK.
Despite the success of Downton Abbey, it was the finale of the dark and brooding ‘who-dunnit,’ Broadchurch that landed the drama top spot. Attracting 261,000 tweets, people couldn’t help but tune in as the cliff-top bonfire was lit and we were all left wondering who the murderer really was.
Notes:
The survey was conducted on behalf of Freeview by social analytics company SecondSync, and analyses data from 1st January – 3rd December 2013. Tweet volumes relate to tweets sent during each specific show and key moments are derived from the most frequent twitter conversations around each specific show.
Top 10 TV moments
| No. | TV programme | TV moment | Channel | No. of Tweets |
| 1 | Comic Relief: Funny for Money | Jessie J shaved her head | BBC 1 | 1,509,389 |
| 2 | The Brit Awards | Harry Styles reacted to ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift’s appearance | ITV | 1,484,050 |
| 3 | Britain’s Got Talent Final | Simon Cowell got egged | ITV | 820,246 |
| 4 | I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! | Joey Essex announced that he didn’t like to “confrontate” | ITV | 720,447 |
| 5 | Children in Need | Ellie Goulding gave an emotional performance of the Official Children in Need song “How Long Will I Love You” | BBC | 605,218 |
| 6 | The X Factor | J Star Valentine gave his unique performance of Hallelujah by Alexandra Burke | ITV | 552,399 |
| 7 | Dr Who Live | Peter Capaldi was revealed as the 13th Doctor | BBC 1 | 542,531 |
| 8 | Celebrity Big Brother Launch | Lucy Banghard entered the Celebrity Big Brother House | Channel 5 | 530,786 |
| 9 | The Voice Final | Andrea Begley beat Leah McFall to win The Voice | BBC 1 | 387,550 |
| 10 | Crazy About One Direction | 1D fans went a little crazy about the One Direction documentary | Channel 4 | 368,139 |
Top 10 Drama moments
| No. | TV programme | Episode | TV moment | Channel | No. of Tweets |
| 1 | Broadchurch Finale | 8 | Bonfires and beacons symbolised the ultimate cliff-hanger | ITV | 260,709 |
| 2 | Skins | 1: Fire | Fans reminisced as the new series of Skins began | E4 | 187,959 |
| 3 | Top Boy | 1 | Dushane and Sully became rivals | Channel 4 | 98,640 |
| 4 | Waterloo Road | 11: Bad Boy | Barry’s sex tape shocked the nation | BBC 1 | 85,921 |
| 5 | Downton Abbey | 1 | Lady Mary Grantham got back to her old trouble stirring ways | ITV | 74,006 |
| 6 | Luther | 1 | “That” under the bed scene | BBC1 | 68,155 |
| 7 | Sherlock | 3: The Reichenbach Fall | Sherlock got all emotional about his self-doubt | BBC 1 | 60,658 |
| 8 | 90210 | 1: Till Death Do Us Part | Liam sent hearts throbbing | E4 | 60,586 |
| 9 | Misfits | 1 | A controversial sex scene polarised the nation | E4 | 47,554 |
| 10 | My Mad Fat Diary | 6: It’s a Wonderful Rae Part 2 | The awkward moment when Finn and Rae kissed | E4 | 46,984 |