Live TV's Alive as Ever, Boosted by Social Media

Remember all the talk about how TV ratings for awards shows and other giant, live-programming spectacles were tanking? It looks like it was premature. And there's evidence Twitter and its ilk deserve some credit. Until 2008, live events were in the midst of a four-year decline on par with the rest of broadcast TV, with everything from the Oscars to the Grammys witnessing some of the steepest live-viewing ratings declines in their respective histories. It was, many said, just further proof that mass media was dying. But in the past year, live events have seen significant ratings increases, thanks in large part to social media.