Effects of Spoiler on the Attraction of Forthcoming Web Series and Viewership
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61506/01.00335Keywords:
Web series, spoilers, word of mouth, viewership, media industry, viewers’ responseAbstract
This study investigates the intricate relationships among spoilers (SP), word of mouth (WOM), genre (GEN), viewer engagement (VE), producer response (PR), advertising (AD), and viewership (VS) within the entertainment industry. Utilizing SmartPLS 4.0 for data analysis, we examined fourteen hypotheses through a cross-sectional, survey-based methodology with a sample size of 425 participants. Results reveal that SP and WOM significantly impact VE and PR, highlighting their importance in shaping viewer experiences and producer actions. Genre also plays a crucial role, influencing both VE and PR. Mediation analyses show that VE and PR significantly affect VS, with VE through AD enhancing VS, while PR through AD does not. However, WOM’s impact on VS via PR is not supported. These findings align with previous research but also reveal new insights into the differential impacts of producer responses and advertising on viewership. The study's limitations include its focus on specific content types, cross-sectional data, and potential biases in self-reported measures. Recommendations for future research include exploring diverse content types, conducting longitudinal studies, and incorporating external factors like marketing and social media trends. The study provides actionable insights for content creators and marketers to enhance viewer engagement and loyalty through strategic use of spoilers, word of mouth, and genre-specific approaches.
References
Abbott, M. (2020). Can Spoilers in Online Reviews Impact Viewer Enjoyment? Film and Media Studies Commons.
Ali, S. H., Foreman, J., Capasso, A., Jones, A. M., Tozan, Y., & DiClemente, R. J. (2020). Social media as a recruitment platform for a nationwide online survey of COVID-19 knowledge, beliefs, and practices in the United States: methodology and feasibility analysis. BMC Medical Methodology, 20, 116s. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-020-01011-0
Boukes, M., Chu, X., Noon, M. F. A., Liu, R., Araujo, T., & Kroon, A. C. (2022). Comparing user-content interactivity and audience diversity across news and satire: differences in online engagement between satire, regular news and partisan news. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 19(1), 98-117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2021.1927928
Brooks, G., Drenten, J., & Piskorski, M. J. (2021). Influencer Celebrification: How Social Media Influencers Acquire Celebrity Capital. Journal of Advertising, 50(5), 528-547. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2021.1977737
Cohen, A.-L., Goldberg, C., Mintz, J., & Shavalian, E. (2023). Can Spoilers in Online Reviews Impact Viewer Enjoyment? Applied Cognitive Psychology, 37(3), 612-623. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.4070
Coker, K. K., Flight, R. L., & Baima, D. M. (2021). Video storytelling ads vs argumentative ads: how hooking viewers enhances consumer engagement. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(4), 607-622. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-05-2020-0115
Forte, G., Favieri, F., Tambelli, R., & Casagrande, M. (2023). To Binge Watch TV Series: How a Leisure Activity May Affect Sleep, Mood and Quality of Life. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 16, 2395-2405. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S407854
Fossen, B. L., & Bleier, A. (2021). Online program engagement and audience size during television ads. Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, 49, 743-761. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00769-z
Gao, X., Hamedi, M. A., & Wang, C. (2024). Cultural distance perceived by Chinese audiences in the Korean film Silenced: a study of cross-cultural receptions in film content elements. Frontiers in Communicaton, 9, 1306309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1306309
Hamby, A. (2021). The Effect of Affect: An Appraisal Theory Perspective on Emotional Engagement in Narrative Persuasion. Journal of Advertising, 51(1), 116-131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2021.1981498
Hasan, Z., Mehmood, S., Bibi, D. M., Ali, R., Zeerak, S., Murtaza, G., . . . Siddiqui, M. T. (2024). Consumer Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Luxury Tourism in Pakistan's Northern Regions. Bulletin of Business and Economics, 13(2), 207-214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.61506/01.00317
Hasan, Z., Naeem, M., Ahmed, S., & Zeerak, S. (2022). Impact of Strategic Ambiguity Tagline on Billboard Advertising on Consumers Attention. Market Forces, 17(1), 163-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51153/mf.v17i1.538
Herold, K., Tarkiainen, A., & Sundqvis, S. (2016). How the source of word-of-mouth influences information processing in the formation of brand attitudes. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 26(1), 64-85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2016.1146387
Jodén, H., & Strandell, J. (2021). Building viewer engagement through interaction rituals on Twitch.tv. Information, Communication & Society, 25(13), 1969-1986. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1913211
Johnson, B. K., & Rosenbaum, J. E. (2015). Spoiler Alert: Consequences of Narrative Spoilers for Dimensions of Enjoyment, Appreciation, and Transportation. Communication Research, 42(8), 1068-1088. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650214564051
Johnson, B. K., & Rosenbaum, J. E. (2018). (Don’t) Tell Me How It Ends: Spoilers, Enjoyment, and Involvement in Television and Film. Media Psychology, 21(4), 582-612. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1338964
Kang, J.-A., Hong, S., & Hubbard, G. T. (2020). The role of storytelling in advertising: Consumer emotion, narrative engagement level, and word-of-mouth intention. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 19(1), 47-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1793
Li, Y., Luo, X. R., Li, K., & Xu, X. (2022). Exploring the spoiler effect in the digital age: Evidence from the movie industry. Decision Support Systems, 157, 113755. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2022.113755
Maxwell, L. C. (2022). Spoilers ahead, proceed with caution: How engagement, enjoyment, and FoMO predict avoidance of spoilers. Psychology of Popular Media, 11(2), 163-172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000362
Mecklenburg, A.-C. (2021). The sensational temporality of spoilers in The Woman in White and Avengers: Endgame. Nineteenth-Century Contexts, 43(1), 55-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08905495.2021.1867816
Naudin, A. G. (2023). Losing the Streaming Wars: What Netflix loses in Television Narrative and P e and Participat ticipatory Fan Cultur an Cultures. USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
Nian, T., Hu, Y., & Chen, C. (2021). Examining the Impact of Television-Program-Induced Emotions on Online Word-of-Mouth Toward Television Advertising. Information Systems Research, 32(2), 605-632. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2020.0985
Patten, E., Ozuem, W., & Howell, K. (2020). The effects of online negative word-of-mouth on dissatisfied customers: a frustration–aggression perspective. Psychology and Marketing Journal, 37(4), 564-577. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21326
Rahimi, M., & Zhang, L. J. (2021). Effects of an Engaging Process-Genre Approach on Student Engagement and Writing Achievements. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 38(5), 487-503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2021.1982431
Rojas-Lamorena, Á. J., Alcántara-Pilar, J. M., & Rodríguez-López, M. E. (2022). The relationship between brand experience and word-of-mouth in the TV-series sector: The moderating effect of culture and gender. Journal of Marketing Communications, 28(5), 506-527. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2021.2011376
Ryoo, J. H. J., Wang, X. S., & Lu, S. (2021). Do Spoilers Really Spoil? Using Topic Modeling to Measure the Effect of Spoiler Reviews on Box Office Revenue. Journal of Marketing, 85(2), 70-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920937703
Sahni, R., & Arockiasamy, K. (2023). Data Analysis on Determining False Movie Ratings. Proceedings of Congress on Control, Robotics, and Mechatronics, 364, 85-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5180-2_8
Siagian, H., Tarigan, Z. J. H., & Ubud, S. (2022). The effect of electronic word of mouth on online customer loyalty through perceived ease of use and information sharing International Journal of Data and Network Science, 5, 1155-1168. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.7.004
Soren, A. A., & Chakraborty, S. (2023). The formation of habit and word-of-mouth intention of over-the-top platforms. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 75, 103460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103460
Srivastava, M., Sivaramakrishnan, S., & Saini, G. K. (2021). The Relationship Between ElectronicWord-of-Mouth and Consumer Engagement: An Exploratory Study. IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, 10(1), 66-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2277975220965075
Thompson, J. M., Teasdale, B., Duncan, S., Van Emde Boas, E., Budelmann, F., Maguire, L., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2021). Differential effects of film genre on viewers’ absorption, identification, and enjoyment. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 15(4), 697-709. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000353
Wang, A., Song, L., Liu, Q., Mi, H., Wang, L., Tu, Z., . . . Yu, D. (2023). Search-Engine-augmented Dialogue Response Generation with Cheaply Supervised Query Production. Artificial Intelligence, 319, 103874. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.artint.2023.103874
Xu, D., Chen, T., Pearce, J., Mohammadi, Z., & Pearce, P. L. (2021). Reaching audiences through travel vlogs: the perspective of involvement. Tourism Management, 86, 104326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104326
Xu, Y., & Ye, Y. (2020). Who Watches Live Streaming in China? Examining Viewers’ Behaviors, Personality Traits, and Motivations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 540518. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01607
Zayani, M. (2020). Digital Journalism, Social Media Platforms, and Audience Engagement: The Case of AJ+. Digital Journalism, 9(1), 24-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2020.1816140
