GECs
Twitter will come to resemble TV as per a research
MUMBAI: Twitter will become more like TV as the rate of typical users posting activities levels off. Research from two professors – Columbia Business School and University of Pittsburgh – believe the rate of social media user posts on Twitter will take a backseat to more TV content-based efforts from corporations and celebrities.
“Twitter will become less of a communications vehicle and more of a content-delivery vehicle, much like TV,” said Olivier Toubia, the Glaubinger professor of business at Columbia Business School. The study was co-authored with Andrew T. Stephen, assistant professor of business administration and Katz Fellow in marketing at the University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration.
“Peer-to-peer contact is likely to evolve to the next great thing, but with 500 million followers, Twitter isn’t just going to disappear. It’s just going to become a new way to follow celebrities, corporations and the like.”
The study examined some 2,500 noncommercial Twitter users where “synthetic” accounts increased the selected group’s followers. Initially, the selected group’s followers increased and their posting rates. However, when that group reached a moderately large amount of followers the posting rate declined significantly.
Toubia said: “When posting activity no longer leads to additional followers, people will view Twitter as a non-evolving, static structure, like TV.”
One of the study’s conclusions: noncommercial users will consume content by commercial users: “Twitter is likely to become more of a platform where noncommercial users consume content posted by commercial users, rather than a platform where non-commercial users share content with each other.”
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
