by Layla Revis, vice president of brand, content and social at Sprout Social
Whether it’s an X thread debating Severance theories or an inescapable Love Island clip on TikTok, it’s hard to separate TV shows from their social media discourse.
Social media has reshaped the way people watch TV, Our recent research reveals that 36% of Gen Z now follow shows exclusively through social platforms, without ever tuning in to traditional TV, while 51% of all consumers either follow shows exclusively using social media, or follow them in tandem with social chatter.*
Social media has ushered in the next era of what it means to be a fan, enabling people around the world to create online communities formed through their mutual interests, fuelled by platforms’ ability to connect communities through algorithms and dedicated spaces.
We saw this in particular with The Summer I Turned Pretty finale, which was watched by 25 million people in the first week. Fans took to social to share how they were tuning into the final, complete with iconic food from the show, themed outfits and live streams of their predictions and reactions. The show’s finale alone generated a total of 380,176 mentions and 9.22B impressions across social.
Social is full of engaged and thriving communities like these. So, the question for brands is, how do you join in the conversation in an authentic way that doesn’t intrude on the fan experience?
The key is to amplify, not interrupt, the experience. Rather than forcing branded content into the moment, smart partnerships focus on how to add genuine value. Creating exclusive recipes inspired by iconic foods, themed product drops, and fan-first collaborations that build on storylines have the best chance of resonating and making brands a welcome part of the conversation.
We know this strategy works, whether it’s Heinz bringing a fictional Mad Men pitch to life or Pottery Barn launching an exclusive Friends-inspired line for the show’s 25th anniversary–when brands offer fans a snippet into the world they love, it’s rewarded.
Data from Sprout’s 2025 Q2 Pulse Survey* highlights authenticity as the key to effective online engagement, particularly when it comes to Gen Z, with 19% being more likely to call out brands for inauthentic influencer campaigns. This shows the need for brands to think strategically about entering the chat, before simply hopping on a trend.
As Autumn approaches and people spend more time indoors, TV is set to become a cornerstone of daily life and a core part of online conversation. MAFSUK has been driving online chatter, while the new season of Celebrity Traitors looks set to follow with its star-studded line-up sparking discussion before the first episode has even aired. Sprout data shows that more than 109 million impressions have already been generated from posts online, proving that social media discourse extends beyond the shows themselves and is a core part of the entertainment experience.
As showcased by TV fandom, social media is a cultural arena where audiences gather, share and build communities. For brands, this shift means moving beyond traditional advertising to play the role of informed participant, using social to discover what customers are engaging with online and meeting them with messages that stick. Fandoms will only grow stronger as cultural engines and brands who listen first, show up authentically and add value to the fan experience will grow with them.
