Nanda, A. P., & Banerjee, R. (2020). Binge watching: An exploration of the role of
technology. Psychology & Marketing, 37(9), 1212-1230.
Abstract:
Watching television shows in quick succession on the Netflix and Amazon Prime platforms is on the
rise. Although widespread, this binge watching behavior has received limited attention from
marketing academics. The current study conceptualizes binge watching needs and examines their
effect on the gratifications obtained from binge watching. We apply the lens of uses and
gratifications (U&G) theory for model development and test the model empirically, using data from
two cities in India. We add a new category of needs, namely technology-related needs, to the
existing psycho-sociological-related needs (named as content-related needs in this paper) present in
plain-old-television studies (POTS). We find that a technology-related need—that is, modal
experience (the presence of media content in various formats leading to superior experience)—
significantly impacts gratification from binge watching. We also find a strong moderating effect of
self-control, used in previous studies of binge-eating and binge-shopping, in which the effect of
modal experience, navigability and parasocial interaction need gratification is heightened for
consumers who have low levels of self-control. We build on these findings to suggest implications for
marketers, advertisers, and consumer-advocacy groups.
Link to Article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mar.21353
