Does genre type influence choice of video platform? A study of college student use of internet and television for specific video genres

With the introduction of multichannel video programming distributors and different types of video platforms, consumers have more choices of channels and platforms than ever. Specifically, the present study focuses on television and the Internet as video platforms. Given the dynamics of the video programming industry, this study examines (1) how motives for watching video content predict intention to use television and intention to use the Internet as a video platform, (2) how the motives for watching a particular video content genre differ by video platform types, and (3) how audience’s choice of video content genres differs by video platform types. A survey method was used to obtain data for this study. Before the main survey was conducted, a pilot test was undertaken to test the wording of the questionnaire and reliability of items for constructs. A total of 149 students at a large university located in the southern part of the country participated in the main survey. The study reveals that motives for viewing the same genre of video content differ according to video platform types. It also discovers the underlying reason behind the popularity of certain genres online.