Social television: Examining the antecedents and consequences of connected TV viewing

Abstract

Extant research has examined the impact of social television on viewer behavior; however, little is known about how social TV strategies help the broadcasting industry develop relationships with the audience, increase and sustain viewer engagement. Building on the literature, this ​study surveyed a national sample of 300 U.S. TV viewers (18–49) to investigate how viewers` social TV participation predicts satisfaction, investment, and perception toward alternative programs and, subsequently, predicts program commitment and emotional consequences toward a committed program after viewer-program relationship breakups. The findings discover that the more viewers engage in social TV activities, the greater their satisfaction and investment toward their favorite programs. Given the quantity of options, viewers may perceive other programs as attractive, weakening their sense of exclusivity in viewer-program relationships. The findings further suggest that greater satisfaction and investment combined with less attractive alternatives may lead to higher program commitment. Viewers` post-breakup reactions are likely determined by their investment of resources in viewing and the quality of alternatives. Importantly, commitment mediates viewers` tendencies to persist in viewer-program relationships as well as breakup distress. This study highlights the underlying mechanism through which viewers` social TV participation influences the dynamics of the relationships in the viewer-program dyad.