'Rick and Morty,' a new show on Adult Swim took to social media to give people a taste of what's in store. The Rick and Morty Instagram account now features 109 15-second clips of the show, which were added to the app before the pilot went live on TV. Since the whole episode was broken down into bite-sized pieces, this makes it much easier for people to like and share their favorite scenes.
The feed is organized so that you start at the top and work your way down to the bottom of the episode, which makes logical sense. However, this meant uploading everything in reverse, which was described on Facebook as a "frustrating exercise in audience engagement." Though this may be, it might have been enough to pique people's interests and then get them to watch the whole episode from start to finish once all of the uploads were added.
Instagram-Based TV Premieres
Adult Swim's 'Rick and Morty' Was Launched in Full on Instagram
Trend Themes
1. Social Media TV - Opportunity for TV networks and streaming services to break down full-length episodes into bite-sized pieces and upload them to social media for easier sharing and engagement.
2. Vertical Video - Opportunity to create vertically-formatted video content for Instagram and other mobile platforms to better reach audiences who are watching on their phones.
3. Audience Engagement - Opportunity to involve audiences in the content creation process, such as by uploading content in reverse order or soliciting feedback through social media.
Industry Implications
1. Television - TV networks and streaming services can use Instagram and other social media platforms to promote content and engage audiences in new ways.
2. Social Media - Social media platforms can expand their capabilities to include more video content and engage audiences in the content creation and sharing process.
3. Advertising - Advertisers can create ads specifically for social media TV, vertical video, and other new formats to better reach mobile audiences.