{"title":"Investigating binge‐watching and its effect on paid subscription: A mixed‐method study based on SOR theory","authors":"Lianlian Song, Shanji Yao, Lili Liu, Geoffrey Tso","doi":"10.1002/cb.2402","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Video‐on‐demand platforms encourage binge‐watching (BW) to stimulate consumers' paid subscription. Despite decades of research, prior studies have yet to reach a consensus on the definition of BW, which results in inconsistent findings regarding its effect on paid subscription behavior. Drawing on stimuli‐organism‐response theory and parasocial interaction studies, we develop a conceptual model to explore the causal mechanism that links BW, the consumer organism (attractiveness, identification, involvement, and parasocial interaction), and responses (impulsive paid subscription). We also investigate how the boundary condition of BW (number of episodes watched) affects this causal mechanism. We conducted an online survey and two quasi‐field experiments to collect data and verify the hypotheses. Our findings confirm that, compared with non‐BW, BW offers enhanced attractiveness, identification, involvement, and parasocial interaction, which results in more impulsive paid subscription behavior. Moreover, it is valid to define BW as watching at least three episodes of a program, which reveals significant differences in viewers' impulsive paid subscription behavior. Implications for future BW research and marketing strategies for video‐on‐demand platforms are discussed.","PeriodicalId":48047,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Consumer Behaviour","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Consumer Behaviour","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2402","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Video‐on‐demand platforms encourage binge‐watching (BW) to stimulate consumers' paid subscription. Despite decades of research, prior studies have yet to reach a consensus on the definition of BW, which results in inconsistent findings regarding its effect on paid subscription behavior. Drawing on stimuli‐organism‐response theory and parasocial interaction studies, we develop a conceptual model to explore the causal mechanism that links BW, the consumer organism (attractiveness, identification, involvement, and parasocial interaction), and responses (impulsive paid subscription). We also investigate how the boundary condition of BW (number of episodes watched) affects this causal mechanism. We conducted an online survey and two quasi‐field experiments to collect data and verify the hypotheses. Our findings confirm that, compared with non‐BW, BW offers enhanced attractiveness, identification, involvement, and parasocial interaction, which results in more impulsive paid subscription behavior. Moreover, it is valid to define BW as watching at least three episodes of a program, which reveals significant differences in viewers' impulsive paid subscription behavior. Implications for future BW research and marketing strategies for video‐on‐demand platforms are discussed.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Consumer Behaviour aims to promote the understanding of consumer behaviour, consumer research and consumption through the publication of double-blind peer-reviewed, top quality theoretical and empirical research. An international academic journal with a foundation in the social sciences, the JCB has a diverse and multidisciplinary outlook which seeks to showcase innovative, alternative and contested representations of consumer behaviour alongside the latest developments in established traditions of consumer research.