Book Description
The television landscape has undergone numerous changes since the 1950s. Television viewing today is defined by more choice, control, and personal customization than ever before as viewers can choose programming, scheduling, device, and other characteristics to shape their experience. Among those changes is the phenomenon of binge watching, the consumption of multiple episodes of the same program in a single sitting. Previous binge watching research has demonstrated that binge watching may facilitate stronger effects, but the underlying process behind the effects has gone unexplained. This study offers a test of such a process by using presence, a state of deep immersion with media, as a potential outcome of binge watching that could lead to increased viewer engagement in a variety of ways. Through an experimental design, this study tests how binge watching and weekly viewers differ in their levels of presence and engagement both during and after viewing. This work also offers testing of medium characteristics beyond binge watching that may facilitate presence. Results indicate that presence and engagement do not differ between binge watchers and weekly viewers, but presence can influence engagement. Additionally, results demonstrate that program enjoyment is a primary driver of both presence and engagement for viewers, emphasizing the importance of effectively matching individual viewers with an appropriate television diet to maximize engagement.