ABSTRACT
Social media, a medium communication and one of the byproducts of the 21st century technology has influenced television broadcasts, especially Channels TV in Nigeria, through three platforms, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. This was achieved in 2013 with the creation of an Online Desk by Channels TV management. The study examined the process of the social media channels, its impact on news and programme contents and challenges for the television broadcast industry in general. The descriptive and analytical survey research method was adopted for this study, focusing on the demographic factors responsible for the usage of social media platforms by viewers of Channels Television. The population of the study consists of viewers as well as editorial staff of Channels TV in Lagos. A sample size of 566 respondents was drawn; including 516 viewers from two local government areas of Lagos State.50 editorial staff of Channels TV took part in the survey. The sets of questionnaires were administered by the researcher and trained research assistants. Five experts were sampled to test the reliability and validity of the instruments, while the test-retest method was applied to measure the reliability of the research instrument. The simple frequency method and cross tabulation were employed as tool of analysis and interpretation of data, while Linear and Multi Linear regression model were employed in testing the study research hypotheses. majority of Channels viewers use the Facebook, Twitter and YouTube social media platforms to access Channels TV news and programmes through desktops computers, laptops, tablets and Smartphone devices; demographic factors of age, gender, employment status influence the use of social media platforms by viewers, the usage of social media tools has enhanced the contents of news and programmes of Channels TV, numbers of viewers have increased and Channels TV management has also introduced mobile applications to improve the usage of the platforms on mobile device; Channels TV does not rules of engagement/ editorial policy for the usage of social media platforms in line with global practices; the major editorial challenges facing Channels TV in its utilization of social media platforms are both editorial and technical. Two hypotheses were constructed, it was discovered that: viewers/ audience awareness of Channels TV social media platforms has a significant influence on……………