Becca Pallack, 25, has seen Hairspray -- both movies and the musical -- countless times.
So when NBC announced it was doing Hairspray Live! she knew she wanted to tune in. This time, however, she was most excited to get a glimpse behind-the-scenes.
The Chicago resident wasn't watching the telecast on the Universal Lot in Burbank, California. But she was among the thousands who utilized Facebook Live to get backstage access of the show while also watching it broadcast on TV.
"The social media elements add another dimension to show since we're all watching it together," Pallack told Mashable. "It connects all of us, which is why social media is such a powerful tool that brings so many people together. I love seeing it from a different aspect on the live stream that differs from the TV version."
The Facebook Live broadcast was part of NBC's larger goal to give its live musical telecast more life on digital platforms. Though Hairspray Live! hit ratings and viewership lows (opens in a new tab)when compared to NBC’s other live musicals, the show ended up shining brightly on social media.
Final Neilson social ratings are not in, but early ratings suggest the broadcast indexed very high among young females, giving NBC their highest ratings for females between the ages of 18-24 (3.6) in 12 years, and female teens from ages 12-17 (3.3) in 13 years.
The network tapped Glee alum Darren Criss to host behind-the-scenes, with help from social media influencers Patrick Starrr, Manny MUA, Kinglsey, Joslyn Davis, Gabi Fresh, Lily Martson and Erin Robinson.
The digital companion show featured 35 unique camera angles of what was happening behind the scenes as it happened, special access to the cast (some even stopped to say hi to Criss), fun facts about all things Hairspray (these were displayed on the bottom of the feed) and other digital extras to enhance the viewer’s experience.
NBC also had a special Snapchat lens and story, Twitter hashtags, GIFs (via Giphy and Kik) and Instagram stories tied to the live show.
"There’s an expectation from audiences now that when there is a live event, nothing is off limits," Rob Hayes, EVP Digital at NBC Entertainment, told Mashable via email. "People who are really interested in a show want as much content around that show as they can possibly consume. By providing this kind of backstage access, along with social media presence and second-screen elements, we really were able to pull back the curtain and provide an experience not previously possible."
The digital efforts worked.
Hairspray Live! was the No. 1 worldwide trend throughout the east and west coast broadcast, NBC said. The digital influencers' 240+ cross-platform posts garnered more than 3.1 million interactions.
But the Facebook Live show was NBC's biggest digital success, garnering more than 2.8 million unique viewers tuning in throughout the night.
After the live stream began, there were a total of 22.7 million impressions and 5.45 million interactions on NBC's Hairspray! and NBC Facebook pages.
"We know that digital is where the younger demo lives and socializes"
"We know that digital is where the younger demo lives and socializes and we wanted to create an event phenomena in social to engage with and ultimately have them tune into the live broadcast," Hayes said.
For the digital influencers, the show was a way to bring out their inner theater nerds. They were invited guests to view the live show from a custom platform, overlooking Baltimore Street on the Burbank lot.
They watched the broadcast show and FB Live show on large TV monitors, while mingling with other attendees and -- of course -- sharing their experience with their followers and fans.
"Hairspray is my favorite musical," Starrr told Mashable. "I got an email from NBC and I could NOT say no. I relate the most to the musical. [And] the live stream was a great way to meet a greater audience as well. The digital component is important for viewers at home to interact with us about the show."
Many of the influencers said it's important for NBC -- and other networks -- to include the cord cutters.
"Most of my friends and colleagues don’t even have cable anymore and so many of them sent me messages during the show saying that the only way they could actually experience it was through our FB Live content," Robinson told Mashable.
Martson added: "Not everyone is gathered around their living room TV watching their favorite shows – they’re watching it on their phone, during their lunch break at work; when it’s most convenient for them."
