<<

)ORULGD6WDWH8QLYHUVLW\/LEUDULHV

2020 Ideal Streaming Service for College-Aged Students Emily Kate Onimus

Follow this and additional works at DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] 1

THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

IDEAL STREAMING SERVICE FOR COLLEGE AGE STUDENTS

By

EMILY ONIMUS

A Thesis submitted to the

School of Communication

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with

Honors in the Major

Degree Awarded:

Spring, 2020 2

Table of Contents

Signatures Page 3

Acknowledgements Page 4

Abstract Page 5

Introduction Pages 6-7

Literature Review Pages 8-22

Research Questions Page 23

Method Pages 24-26

Participants Page 24 Design Page 24 Procedure Page 25 Measures Pages 25-26

Results Pages 27-30

Discussion Pages 31-34

Limitations/Further Research Page 35

Appendices: Appendix A: Key Concepts Pages 36-37 Appendix B: Student Survey 1 Pages 38-48 Appendix C: In-Depth Interviews Pages 49-54

References Pages 55-60

3

Signatures

The members of the Defense Committee approve the thesis of Emily Onimus defended on April 17, 2020.

______

Dr. Patrick Merle

Thesis Director

______

Jean Lickson

Outside Committee Member

______

Dr. Brian Graves

Committee Member

4

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Patrick Merle, for his guidance through each stage of the process. His remarkable teaching methods, patience, and expertise in the communications field encouraged me to complete this honors thesis. I feel especially fortunate that my interests in the design, development, and commercialization of streaming services align so well with Dr. Merle’s expertise. His proficiencies allowed me to collaborate with him to continue and further develop my career aspirations.

I would like to acknowledge Dr. Brian Graves and Jean McDaniel Lickson for their continuous support and direction as committee members.

I would like to recognize Dr. Sara Bailey for her assistance with SONA, the Research

Sign-Up System used to gather the majority of surveyors.

I would like to thank Matt Bond, the chairman of Content Distribution and individual who enabled my internship, and the rest of the NBCUniversal colleagues I had the privilege to work with during my 10 weeks with the company. The insight and information I learned from the Content Distribution Group truly inspired and motivated my research. I wish them continual success with Peacock.

I am forever grateful for my wonderful parents and their endless support and guidance.

I want to sincerely thank every one of these individuals who made this research possible.

I am eager to see how it inspires my future career goals and aspirations.

5

Abstract

Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, was one of the main topics of consideration and conversation that the researcher witnessed and engaged in while interning with the company for ten weeks during the summer of 2019. Considering the ever-changing nature of the media landscape, the discussions questioned what content an ideal streaming service should contain and how it should be designed and marketed. For this senior honor’s thesis, the researcher wanted to utilize the knowledge gained from research and techniques public relations courses while simultaneously furthering the insight learned with NBC. The researcher conducted a study by surveying through Qualtrics and interviewing a representative sample of the student body population at Florida State University. The data analyzed using SPSS Statistics software prompted the inference that individuals value user satisfaction, personalization, broad content selections, various pricing options, and simultaneous viewing options the most.

Keywords:

Survey

In-depth Interview Bundles

Streaming Service Split-Screen

Student Population (VODs)

Over-the-Top Subscription (SVODs)

Short Form Video Simultaneous Viewing

Linear Viewing Non-Linear Viewing

Smart Devices

6

Introduction

NBCUniversal and are launching their own streaming service, "Peacock," on

July 15, 2020 (Skowronski & Smith 2019). NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience (Skowronski & Smith 2019). The initial content of

Peacock’s lineup has been released. It will offer over 15,000 hours of modern T.V. classics like

“The Office” and “Parks and Rec,” and original content. Like other streaming services, Peacock will offer a subscription supported version. The service will also offer a option supported by advertisements. This service is designed to respond to the demand of the general population, and specifically the younger generations, as streaming services are a primary manner in which they consume their entertainment media.

Streaming services are being developed by most network and production companies. A streaming service is an online entertainment source that provides an alternative to cable and satellite on-demand services. This is occurring due to shifts in the television news media landscape (Marvin 2017). Countless studies have been done to recognize and diagnose shifts in the media world including, namely some on The Power of Podcasts, (Thomas, 2019); What’s the

Best Streaming Service for Your Money ? (Tuttle, 2019); Gen Z boasts the largest, most diverse media users yet (Singh, 2017); For The First Time, 50% Of Americans Have Listened To

An Audiobook (Rowe, 2019); The Generation Z and their Usage (PrakashYadav,

2017); and What Gen Z is Watching (Dunn, 2020).

Yet, none of the studies known to date have considered college aged consumer’s preference of live streaming service. As important as it is to note the decline and shifts in original 7 broadcast outlets, researchers should to perfect streaming services by comprehending consumer’s preferences.

This study will fill the gap to understand the ideal streaming service for consumers, specifically the individuals who comprise a large amount of the viewing audience, college students. Therefore, one may question and research, due to the rapidly evolving media landscape, interests in entertainment forms, delivery medium, purchasing and viewing habits: What is the ideal streaming service for the college student generation?

8

Literature Review

The Current Landscape

Times are constantly changing for the television media world. (Hall 2017). The so-called,

“cord-cutting” era has reached a new high (Zeitchik and Timberg 2019). Streaming services have ultimately taken over and are being launched by almost every network and production company

(Tan 2019).

Netflix was established back in 1997 and was created 10 years later in 2007. Recent news from networks have published that they are using their time and budgets to focus on streaming services. Now, in 2020, almost every network and production company feel the magnitude of launching their own platforms. Big Media and Big Tech are breaking out in a literal “streaming war” to fight for audiences’ attention and subscription dollars. In the next year, multiple companies have or are planning on launching their own streaming platforms to compete with the current giants like , Amazon, and Hulu (Tan 2019).

In a video published by called, “Video Streaming Services Battle for Subscribers,” CEO’s of current streaming service providers spoke on the current video streaming landscape and predicted the average consumer’s streaming service expenditures in the next five years. The Wall Street Journal mentions Apple TV plus, CBS All Access, Disney plus,

FOX Nation, HBO Max, Peacock, Netflix, Prime Video, , On Demand, and SHO

Anytime. Five of these 10 will be launching in the next year. Michael J Wolf, founder and CEO of Activate, explains the average person is currently subscribing to 2.6 services, but that in 2023, it will be up to 4.9. Robert Iger, Chairman and CEO of , states, “The frenzy you are seeing now, and it is a frenzy, is due to one thing and that is from everyone 9 waking up and having their so-called ‘ah-ha’ moment and realizing that the disruption that we have all been watching over the last few decades, is very permanent in nature, this is not a speed bump. This is a dramatic in the way that people consume entertainment and information.”

Shari Redstone, the President, National Amusements and Vice Chairman of CBS and , sees these permanent shifts as a major advantage as most companies desire to support their own platforms. Some of these third-party companies are going to need quality content that major companies, such as CBS and Viacom, will be able to provide.

In “Over-the-Top Sport: Live Streaming Services, Changing Coverage Rights Markets and the Growth of Media Sport Portals,” author, Hutchkins, discusses the new idea of portals. He mentions how it is encouraging broadcast corporations to collaborate with other service providers to form the most consumer-friendly platforms. The collaboration is taking place with telecommunications sectors across the globe (Hutchkins 2019).

The rise of live streaming services is part of a wider ‘platformisation’ of television

(Evens and Donders 2018 p. 1). According to Tom Evens and Karen Donders (2018 p. 4) this term describes “the emergence of an increasingly dominant ‘infrastructural and/or economic model’ in which the Internet functions as a ‘worldwide distribution infrastructure’ for audio- visual content.” This process is responsible for the erosion of the already-established distribution models of the broadcast television industries; particularly the bundling of expensive packages of channels by cable and subscription television providers. The outcome of this ‘platformisation’ movement is a widespread of cord-cutting by customers who are in favor of less-expensive, more consumer-specific, OTT services that can be accessed across several devices, with no lock-in contracts and fees (Hutchkins 2019). 10

Portals work to mend the gap has created because of its’ specific broadcast schedules and content it delivers. Instead, portals can “insert the intertwined logics of curation (content acquisition strategies and the organization of expansive, dynamic and readily available content libraries) and mass customization (of viewer experiences, algorithmic recommendation systems, promotional messaging, and access across a range of devices and screens)” (Hutchkins 2019 p. 4).

Currently, the main disadvantage of portals is the inevitable glitches that are experienced with new consumer, high-quality technology services. These new services promise efficiency and reliability, but unavoidable malfunctions are always encountered. These flukes, regardless of their frequency, make consumers weary and skeptical of newer technologies, encouraging some to stay with past providers. Some consumers are already resistant to change and have insufficient knowledge and lack of motivation to learn new systems; therefore, the faults in new technologies that arise make those individuals even more doubtful and unwilling to change.

The new changes to the landscape are challenging all network and operating companies.

A.O. Scott from stated, “with more original movies bypassing big screens, the between tv and film is blurring, prompting once-unthinkable operating questions.” For one, these operating questions are impacting studios employment and management teams.

Media Consumption

Generational differences are prominent in all aspects of life, especially media consumption habits. Although all generations are consuming some form of streaming service 11 media, younger generations, especially Gen Z, are the primary consumers. According to

Marketing Profs, Gen Z consumes the most media on a daily basis (Nanji 2019 p. 1).

Currently enrolled college students comprise Generation Z, this being the first generation to have easily accessible and readily available Internet technology, making this age group unique as “they have been exposed to an unprecedented amount of technology in their upbringing, courtesy the web revolution that occurred throughout the 1990s” (Gyan 2017 p. 2). The majority of TV audiences are younger millennial or Generation Z viewers who have grown up on a steady diet of online video via social media platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, Tik Tok, and Daily

Motion. These audiences are typically “cord-nevers” (Marvis 2017, p. 4), meaning they have never had the “inconvenience” of cable television and never considering “cutting the cord.” They have had access to whatever entertainment they wanted to consume at the touch of their fingers, whether that is shows, movies, news, books, or music.

Forbes mentions, in “The Key to Gen Z,” that this generation’s habits are highly influenced by the platforms that offer the most easily accessible content. This content does not require them to sift through a variety of material to access their desired show. Platforms, such as

Snapchat, Tik Tik, and YouTube, are most appealing to this generation as the content is most

“relevant, meaningful, and authentic” (Baron 2019 p. 1). This generation articulates an increase in daily social pressures and competition they face. Therefore, the majority of Gen Z’s video content and other media consumption is primarily used as an outlet to decompress (Dunn 2020 p.

2).

The ‘Internet generation’ can ultimately be held responsible for the major shifts in media consumption habits as older generations were primarily exposed to main-stream media, including cable television, radio broadcast, and print media. The younger generation’s gravitation towards 12 various media outlets encourage researchers to primarily study their consumption habits. Video content is changing, and streaming services and other platforms must stay up-to-date with these relevant shifts in media consumption habits in order to maintain connection with younger audiences (Dunn 2020 p. 4).

Functionality/Efficiency/Reliability

According to Deborah Carstens, author of “Social Media Impact on Attention Span,” most technological advancements influenced the younger generation’s impulsivity and hyperactivity to significantly increase over the years. These new circumstances need to be considered when developing this “ideal” service.

The streaming service needs to function efficiently in order to keep the audiences satisfied and engaged. Viewers need to be able to access “all the action and the ‘wow’ moment in less time” to keep them entertained (Marvis 2017 p. 4).

The popularity of short-form video, specifically YouTube’s content, is constantly analyzed. In “How is Attention Allocated?: Data-Driven Studies of Popularity and Engagement in Online ,” the researchers break down admirable features about online video platforms.

There are various types of interaction offered with the online platforms. Viewers can be passive or active. Passive consumption simply involves the consumer watching their video of choice. An active viewer has the ability to like, comment, and share the video. The study found that some factors affect the likelihood of an active user to be responsive. The video’s quality and length are two main metrics which control this correlation. Consumers prefer high quality, and generally prefer shorter length videos. 13

Quibi, the latest short-form mobile video platform, launched on April 6, 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. This platform is a unique, mobile-first streaming service that offers

“quick bites” of video. The platform offers news, docuseries, and even short feature films with top talent stars, like JLo, Steven Spielberg, and , in 10 minutes or less.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 shut down the majority of entertainment production. Fortunately, the company had stockpiled content back in the Fall because of fearing some writers’ strikes. With this stockpile, Quibi predicted they have enough content to last them through mid-September.

Consumer awareness and costs are Quibi’s two main concerns. Similar platforms, such as

YouTube and Tik Tok, are free. Quibi’s $4.99 a month may be unappealing to most.

According to Nielsen, when considering simultaneous usage of devices, “the second screen is booming as 45% often or always use devices while watching tv.” These second devices actually aid the viewing experience, not detract from it. Most of the activities taking place on the second device are related to the content the consumer is viewing. “For example, 71 percent said they use their device to look up something related to the TV content, while 41 percent said they text, email or message someone about the content. Thirty-five percent said they shop for a product or service being advertised and 28 percent write or read social media posts about the content they’re viewing” (Perez 2).

Contents/Personalization

People have highlighted several questions and concerns regarding the streaming wars.

Marvis asks, “The TV sector now has many new market entrants and a vast number of ways to watch video online, so how can TV providers compete, attract, and retain audiences?” It can be anticipated that according to research and individual’s preferences, the streaming service must be 14 a credible and reliable source, technologically sound, and have diverse offers with customization features.

A study was conducted and analyzed in the “Impact of Quality Factors on Users’

Viewing Behaviors in Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Services.” From their results, it was concluded that user’s satisfaction can only be increased if their viewing habits are highly analyzed. By understanding the viewer behaviors, streaming service developers will be able to make their apps enticing to all audiences.

“The design of the streaming platform keeps evolving to be more scalable and flexible and provide better service,” (Adhikari 2015, p. 7) but none of the platforms have developed the idea of customization yet. This idea is worth exploring as these services are becoming so readily available. Repetitive content and streaming patterns are ultimately confusing and overwhelming consumers. One may predict streaming services will lose customer’s interest if they all continue distributing content in a similar manner.

“TV providers looking to attract digital audiences need to build offerings that appeal to the changing viewing habits, lifestyles, and interests of these digital-native viewers. While online video is appealing to younger audiences, it is also reaching a saturation point” (Marvis 2017 p. 2)

Considering this statement, the ideal streaming service needs a personalization feature in order to avoid this saturation. If a streaming service has the capability to bundle each user’s top media outlets, the user will likely be attracted most to the service. A study by a digital marketing company stated that over 50% of consumers are frustrated with the amount of services they must be subscribed to in order to get the content they want to watch. 15

“So much change is suddenly happening so quickly that viewers are becoming overwhelmed and, studies suggest, not in a good way. For some people the cable bundle is seeming downright manageable in comparison” (A.O. Scott pg. 3).

The main question with customization is what options should consumers have the opportunity to bundle? The options of content are unlimited: live news and sports, podcasts, movies, audio books, stock trends, entertainment shows, and music. Streaming services are already magnifying their content. For instance, Senior Contributor, Scott Mendelson, mentions that HBO Max is emphasizing their interactivity by launching podcasts and celebrity recommendations.

Podcasts growth in popularity has been on the rise for the past five years (Thomas 2019).

Podcasts offer open access, meaning users can listen on their terms, offering flexibility other broadcast sources cannot provide. The ability to subscribe to podcasts is an admirable feature to most podcast consumers, as they are able to receive an update about newly uploaded broadcasts.

This offers users a more personal connection to the broadcast source, making them “feel up-to- date” on the latest happenings.

Audio books are growing in popularity as well. Forbes published that “over 50% of

Americans (age 12 or older) have listened to an audiobook” (Rowe 2019 p. 1). The results came from a national annual consumer survey conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital for

Audio Publishers Association (APA) (Rowe 2019). The survey also detected the causation behind what is driving the audiobook renaissance and predicted where it will manifest in the coming years. There is also a strong historical connection between audiobook and podcast listeners. One may predict if a podcast listener would like their bundle to include podcasts, then they will likely want an audiobook component as well (Rowe 2019). 16

Live sport is another content form that deserves concentrated study. Viewers of sports are considered to be some of the most loyal customers to cable television (Hutchins 2019). Viewers are engaged to the specific and unique qualities live sports provide, such as its’ liveness, emotion, and identity appeal.

Live sports coverage is challenging to OTT service providers as it demands a strict linearity with specific scheduling requirements due to the necessary live event coverage

(Hutchins 2019). Besides news, it is the most ‘perishable’ form of content. The tension and entertainment value falls immediately once the result of the plays is known. Nonetheless, this idea of liveness is also seen as a privilege. It encourages fans to be unwavering, dedicated viewers as they form rituals of sports fandom and are brought together by the collective social experiences. A question that frequently arises from sports coverage is the social experiences aspect. Do most sports fans prefer watching the live events in public , or would they rather have access to them on their streaming services from mobile devices at home? “The proliferation of OTT platforms and markets means that, with sufficient technological and financial resources, it becomes possible for viewers to watch more sport on more devices in more places than ever before and to personalize viewing practices and experiences across a variety of screens and communities of interest” (Hutchins 2019, p. 3).

Another important consideration with content, particularly sports coverage, is multi- screen viewing, meaning either splitting the screen on one device or across two or more devices

(Hutchins 2019). It enables a spectrum of viewer choice regarding how sport and other content is experienced. The idea of portals, mentioned earlier, allow viewers to simultaneously watch multiple games on the same screen while also accessing statistics, online marketplaces during the live plays, and other interactive features. 17

As mentioned earlier with portals, buffering is a particular problem in the experience of live-streamed sport as it “impacts the ability of fans to follow the flow of the game and to experience pivotal moments in real-time” (Hutchins 2019, p. 8). This is a serious impediment to viewer satisfaction. On the contrary, throughout the years, broadcasting, such as free-to-air, cable, and , has developed an “enviable track record of robustness in the delivery of live sport” with buffering interruptions and other delays being relatively minimal and comparatively infrequent occurrences (Hutchins 2019).

Pricing and

As mentioned previously, streaming services are not only battling for viewer’s attention, but they are fighting for their subscription dollars as well. Obviously, every consumer’s decision about the subscription quantity they are willing to pay for is unique; however, some generalizations and predictions have been made about what is expected in the coming years.

Scott Mendelson published an article in Forbes, “As Disney and Apple Battle Netflix, The Big

Losers in the Streaming Wars Could Be Us,” where he dives into the current landscape and predicts the future of the average consumer. Apple’s launching price is $4.99 per month,

Disney’s is $6.99 per month, and Disney, Hulu, and ESPN have bundled for $12.99 per month.

CBS All Access without ads is $9.99 per month and with ads is $5.99. Unfortunately, NBC’s,

“Peacock,” will be the last to launch in April 2020. They plan to offer a pay-per-month variation as well as an ad-based version which will be free of charge. Amazon’s streaming service comes free when the consumer is subscribed to Prime. Calculating almost every streaming service option available does not amount to $100, which is relatively inexpensive compared to previous monthly cable subscription costs. The dilemma for these big tech production companies is 18 whether consumers will be willing to subscribe to every account, each having a slight variation to the next. Mendelson states, “All these major streaming services will offer different price points, different hooks, but a similar goal: That consumers will decide that their streaming service is worth a subscription while another one isn’t.”

In a New York Times special edition, “The Ever-Expanding Streaming Universe: An exhaustive, if not complete, guide” discusses “the majors, the sporting kind, the freebies, and the cable replacements.” As mentioned, the obvious majors and long-established services are

Netflix, Hulu, and . One of the major additions to the streaming service options is, Disney+, which launched on November 12th, 2019 and costs $6.99 per month. The platform has over 7,500 of old episodes of Disney-branded tv shows. HBO Max will be launching in May 2020 and costs $14.99 per month. It will have over 10,000 hours of entertainment including “Friends” and “South Park.” Peacock launches in April 2020 and will cost $4.99 per month and will have over 15,000 hours of content including “The Office” and

“Fraiser.” Apple TV Plus launched November 1st, 2019 and is $5 per month (Robertson 5).

One may question why more services are not bundling together to offer a less expensive package with a variety of entertainment options, similar to what Disney, Hulu, and ESPN are doing. The idea of customization comes back for consideration.

Robertson found that overall, streaming customers said they would pay an average of about $33 per month for all their streaming services combined. However, 40 percent of respondents said they would only want to pay up to $20 total per month. Another 31 percent chose up to $40 per month, and 16 percent would pay up to $60 per month, but after that it drops off significantly; very few would pay $100 or more. 19

On January 16th, 2020 at 4:00pm, NBCUniversal hosted a public investor broadcast focusing on their new streaming service, Peacock. Stephen Burke, the chairman of

NBCUniversal, opened the two-hour-long broadcast with an overview of what to anticipate and expect from the new service. He acknowledged the decline of linear viewing, but quickly mentioned the positive 18% growth from streaming services. He emphasized the goal of combining scale, scope, and expertise with Comcast, NBC, and Sky television to work in harmony and as a “symphony” effort to make their new service dominate in the competitive, global marketplace. In doing so, the companies will ultimately win by having such a dynamic business. Burke and the rest of NBC are not afraid to “zig while all the other marketers zag.” By stating this, he foreshadowed the fact that Peacock plans to take risks, but the company can afford to do so as NBC’s programming remains number one in the world.

Matt Strauss, chairman of Peacock, spoke about the vision of the service. There is more premium content in the history of television than ever before, and Strauss went on to discuss content fragmentation. Television’s broad scope has greatly evolved and has become a place to access such a wide variety of content, creating this so-called, “fragmentation.” Peacock will ultimately act as a platform to aggregate and partner to help reduce the previously mentioned saturation point consumers are facing. He discussed ways in which Peacock will be “dedicated and personalized” to all customers to ensure user satisfaction and reduce endless scrolling.

Statistics prove that 65% of the viewers know what they would like to watch, but that 35% enjoy recommendations. Back in the day, linear channels and television grids were the most common way people discovered their preferred shows. Strauss mentioned how Spotify ultimately took this push for recommended content to a new level. 20

Previously in the broadcast, Burke mentioned that ad supported platforms have been their most successful outlets for broadcasting their content. Their monetization is best when consumers view the content on linear television or NBC.com. With this in mind, Strauss spoke on subscription fatigue and affordability. As mentioned earlier, Peacock will offer a paid and unpaid option which they are advertising as “free as a bird.” He highlighted this “power of free”, by stating that it is impossible to overstate the cost of a zero dollar service. The paid service will have a $4.99 premium bundled with video, Flex, and Cox subscribers. The unpaid version will have “consumer-friendly advertising,” which includes five minutes of advertisements per hour with frequency caps to eliminate the possibility of being inundated with repetitive ads. He promised that “every ad will look just as good as the premium content it will be combined with.” Brand safety is a major focus of NBCUniversal, and Peacock will be 100% brand safe. They also make transparency the cornerstone of everything they do, and data only improves this commitment further. The combination of the superior content and technology, fueled by the ad-supported model, will truly differentiate NBC from the rest of the big tech companies. The focus on the consumer, safety, and transparency are all at the heart of Peacock and will conclusively define the future of advertising. Matt and the rest of the Peacock team seem honored to lead this transformation and expansion of the media landscape.

Strauss then walked the investors through the Peacock interface. When subscribers open the app, they can see the options of browse, trending, and channels, along with a video playing.

This video may be news or part of a game or a show, but the intention behind this is to mimic a television. When browse is opened, consumers have access to over 15,000 hours of television and movies available. Viewing habit data gets collected, and the service-learning algorithms create a more personalized homepage. Peacock originals will be displayed below the 21 recommended choices for you. In the trending section, short-form content will be available, offering daily happenings such as news segments, sports highlights, and pop culture updates.

This area will also house late-night clips, including Saturday Night Live clips, people may not have seen when aired. The goal behind this section is to pull subscribers away from YouTube, where most of these highlights exist after live airing, and over to Peacock. The channel’s section will aim to remind consumers how important television is. NBC is a linear network; therefore,

Peacock’s design is hoping to replicate the appearance of traditional television.

Peacock is launching for Xfinity 1 and Flex customers on April 15th and was planning on nationally launching in July during the Summer Olympics. The Olympics have been postponed until next year because of COVID-19; however, Peacock still had its’ soft launch on April 15th, and official launch in July.

COVID-19 Effects

According to research done by Advanced Television, Generation Z is driving the COVID-

19 media habits. “Gen Z is demonstrating the largest increase in media consumption during the

Coronavirus outbreak,” according to research by GlobalWebIndex across 13 markets (p. 1

2020).

The media landscape could drastically change in light of COVID-19. Steigrad, author of the New York Post’s article, “NBCUniversal Jeff Shell says he has Coronavirus,” quoted infected Chairman Jeff Shell stating “The virus will pass, our world will return to normal, and when it does, we will be poised to have one of the busiest and most exciting years in our company’s history” (2). The prediction NBC’s future success support the company’s resilience and optimism despite the current, unpredictable times. 22

Chrome has an extension called “Netflix Party” that is allowing Netflix customers to simultaneously stream Netflix with friends, almost mimicking a movie theatre style. It even has a chat window, options to play/pause for everyone, so that the stream stays in-sync.

The spread of the virus and its’ impact on digital media consumption is discussed in The

Biggest Business Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Social media, over-the-top video, and online gaming are all supposed to increase as the virus spreads and the isolation continues. It was mentioned that the streaming service platforms may benefit from the pandemic. Despite the state of the economy, the article predicted that SVODs may see an increase in their subscribers. VOD services may also see an increase in subscribers, as they offer lean-back viewing options that also provide live national and local news programming. Most SVOD services currently do not provide these options, so the article predicted VOD services may become more favorable. The article specifically mentioned the younger audiences and the likelihood of their media consumption to increase. Various platforms mentioned included Disney+, Tik Tok, YouTube, and Fortnite. These virtual worlds offer hours of entertainment and virtual human interaction.

23

Research Questions

Due to the rapidly evolving media landscape, interests in entertainment forms, delivery medium, purchasing and viewing habits, what is the ideal streaming service for the college student generation?

Research Question 1: Will the manner in which content is delivered change drastically in the next five years because of the demand for higher consumer satisfaction and new-found technologies and screening options?

Research Question 2: Will college-aged student’s purchasing and viewing habits for streaming services increase if they are viewing customized, specifically tailored content which they control?

Research Question 3: As the media landscape continues to evolve, will the interest of individual’s entertainment forms change as well, making the broadest and most diverse offerings most successful?

24

Method

Overview

The purpose of this study was to understand what the ideal streaming service is composed of for college-aged students. Gaining knowledge about the public’s current understanding and level of appreciation towards streaming services may aid all current media groups when developing and tweaking their services.

Participants were contacted by email, groups, word of mouth, and direct messaging systems and asked to complete a survey. The surveys were and untimed.

Participants

The target population was full-time, traditional Florida State University undergraduate college students. 325 students responded to the survey and 8 students responded to in-depth interviews. 79.08% of respondents were female and 20.31% were males. 69.23% respondents identified as Caucasians, 8% as African-Americans, 3.7% as Asian/Pacific Islander, and 16% as

Latino or Hispanic,. All of the participants were between the ages of 18-22 (M- 1.8, Std-

0.413) 32% plan to graduate in 2020, 32% plan to graduate in 2021, 24% plan to graduate in

2022, and 12% plan to graduate in 2023.

Design

The researcher conducted the survey via Qualtrics, allowing participants to answer the questions in their most ideal environment. The in-depth interviews were conducted in study rooms at a library on the campus of the research institution. Several different methods were employed to recruit participants. Most of the participants were recruited through the SONA

Research Sign-Up System. Additional emails were sent to the targeted population with secure links to a Qualtrics survey. Others were directly messaged through text or social media. A 25 snowballing sampling technique was also executed in order for one participant to recruit others that they knew that would also fit the sample.

Procedure

In-depth interviews and surveys on Qualtrics were distributed from January 15th through

February 4, 2020. Participants were prompted by email or alternatively through a research platform, SONA, to take the online survey on Qualtrics, which lasted approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The in-depth interviews were conducted in study rooms on the first floor of Strozier library. Participants were asked to answer the 10 questions and add additional information to any responses at their discretion.

Survey 1: The first survey was distributed directly to the target audience through a convenience sampling method. The goal and purpose of this survey was to examine participant’s understanding of the current streaming service landscape and ultimately figure out what their ideal streaming service would be.

In-depth Interviews: In-depth interviews were conducted with eight students. The goal and purpose of these interviews is to get a better understanding of their opinions and preference on streaming services’ offerings. These interviews also allowed for extemporaneous speaking on various topics as chosen by the interviewees.

Measures

Enjoyment of Television: participants were asked a series of 6 statements through a Likert scale of agreements

TV Preference: participants were asked to select their favorite television shows they are currently watching out of a series of multiple options 26

Consumption of News Sources: participants were asked a series of statements of 5 statements through a Semantic Differential scale

Opinion of News Sources: participants were asked to rate their opinion of reliability, trustworthiness, and credibility for new sources

Time Allocated to Media Consumption: participants were asked a series of 7 statements through a scale to determine the amount of time they spend on each platform

27

Results

The findings presented below are organized within the two primary evaluation methodologies: research and surveys. Each of the research questions dove into the main topic of discussion which was to find out what an ideal streaming service would be for a college-aged student.

The questions in the surveys were laid out in various styles, primarily multiple choice,

Likert scales, and Semantic Differential questions in tables, and free response.

The surveys closed on February 4th, 2020 after being run for three weeks. Once the surveys were completed, there were a total of 325 responses for the first student survey and 7 in- depth interview responses. Once the survey was officially closed, they were uploaded into IBM

SPSS and analyzed for finding important significance between data and within the research.

Content Preferences

The results supported the need for personalization when the researcher asked the student population about specific genres and which ones they preferred. 48% of respondents’ favorite genre was dramas/comedies. 19% of respondents’ favorite genre was reality, 11% of respondents favorite content was live sports, 9% prefer sitcoms, 5% prefer documentaries, 3% prefer the news, 2% like thrillers, and only 1% like SiFi. Clearly, almost half of the participants like dramas/comedies the most. However, the remaining percentages primarily lie within the midrange of possible outcomes. The spread being uneven proves the desire of customization for content selection. For example, if consumers had the option to bundle their favorite content, one individual may select dramas/comedies, live sports, and the news as their top three interests. On 28 the other hand, another person may select SiFi, documentaries, and sitcoms as their three selections.

When participants rated their level of enjoyment for different shows, there was a high correlation between the genres. For the comedies: The Office, Friends, and Parks and

Recreation, the Pearson Correlation Coefficient proved a high significance between the shows,

(.469**) For the late night comedy talk shows: Saturday Night Live and Late Night Starring

Jimmy Fallon, the Pearson Correlation Coefficient proved a high significance between the shows, (.517**) For the dramas: Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Chicago Fire, and Grey’s

Anatomy, the Pearson Correlation Coefficient proved a high significance between the shows,

(.374**). After proving their significance, the grouped genres were compared against one another in a cross tabulation. There was no correlation between the genres which proves that participants' genre and content preferences vary per individual, making it difficult to have a service that will satisfy all audiences.

50% of the male respondents watch live sports at home at least 2-3 times a week or more.

Less than 10% of female respondents watch live sports at home at least 2-3 times a week or more. (M=4.02, SD=.123) These results prove that males are much more likely to watch and want their streaming service platform to have the sports as a content selection option.

66% of participants listen to podcasts and most of those respondents are subscribed to accounts. The researcher asked the in-depth interviewees if they listened to audio books, and

85% said they did.

79.2% generally watch shows longer than 26 minutes. This statistic surprised me, as the researcher believed more respondents would watch shorter episodes and YouTube videos. For example, without commercials, Friends episodes are 22-23 minutes long. 81.6% of respondents 29 said they were either somewhat or extremely likely to binge watch a series. This is an important statistic, especially when compared to the length of show, as it proves consumers spend a great deal of time on these platforms.

The data results from the surveys were scattered and unevenly spread when running tests on the type of content consumed and how often the respondents consume it. The results were the same for the in-depth interviews. This proves that each individual has different preferences and would most likely enjoy a personalized platform to access content.

The majority of respondents do not consume foreign content, such as printed materials, written or broadcast news, or music streams from foreign language performers.

Technology

More than half of the respondents currently own four or more smart products and stated they often watch one form of entertainment on one of their devices while simultaneously watching another entertainment medium on another device. Therefore, split-screen viewing may be enticing to the majority of audiences. As mentioned in the literature review, viewer’s attention spans are very short and are only shortening as time progresses. This conclusion further supports why split-screen viewing options with other easy and immediate interchange and interactive possibilities, such as virtual chat rooms, are ideal.

Respondents from the in-depth interviews primarily watch their content on their phones or laptops.

Pricing and Advertising 30

When asking students if they would be willing to watch an ad if they were tuning in to their favorite content, 44.2% said they would watch an ad longer than 16 seconds. However,

89.3% of students also responded it was extremely likely they would skip an ad if given the option.

When asking students if they currently pay for cable television, only 18.1% said and the other 81.9% responded no. On a similar note, many respondents are currently subscribed to multiple streaming services. Almost half (46.6%) of the respondents are subscribed to 3 or more paid services.

Password sharing is a common concern for all of the Big Media and Big Tech companies.

Over 50% of respondents said they were currently sharing two or more passwords. A customized service made specifically for you would likely reduce this problem.

63% of participants said they would pay $30.00-$49.99 a month if they had a streaming service with an unlimited amount of their favorite content.

Current User Satisfaction

From the in-depth interviews, half of the respondents are not currently satisfied with their streaming service options. They either feel like they are paying an excessive amount for content they do not consume or enjoy. They want more selections and want it all grouped on one, easy- to-access service. The algorithms do not always recommend options they want.

31

Discussion

The findings from research and surveys, as discussed above, provide a clear direction for media companies intent on leading the development and commercialization of an ideal streaming service for college-aged students. The evidence supports a conclusion that an ideal streaming service for this key market segment will combine the following 5 critical components:

1. A relentless core focus on user satisfaction

2. The ability for personalization and customization of content and delivery

3. Broad content options

4. Personalized pricing plans

5. Technology-enabled simultaneous viewing

Streaming wars between leading providers are intensive and will become more aggressive in the future. A consolidation of the market is likely, now that every major media company has launched or is launching a service, licensing and featuring their top content.

COVID-19 has had an overwhelming effect on viewership and media consumption habits; therefore, the 2020 streaming wars may become even more rivalrous. The emergence of an ideal streaming service for college-aged viewers will drive a rationalization of the market, resulting in an unmatched level of loyalty and scale for the winners.

Research Question 1 asked about the importance of consumer satisfaction and technology advancements. Results supported a conclusion that streaming services’ top priority should be a relentless focus on user satisfaction. This core corporate value will instill a company culture that drives all employees to ensure customers are satisfied with the service’s design, functionality, content, and reliability. Customer gratification as it relates to technology also acts as a platform for differentiation in such a competitive business environment. A relentless focus on user 32 satisfaction helps to maintain brand loyalty and minimizes the risk of loss to other competitive options. Service providers should deploy direct and behavior-oriented measures to continually track and measure user satisfaction.

Technology advancements and customer satisfaction are directly correlated. The option for split screen viewing will be highly favorable and utilized as viewers continue to simultaneously use devices while consuming content. According to Neilson and other studies, users who simultaneously consume content generally do so as an aid to the primary content they are consuming. Therefore, split screen viewing should always aim to aid in the viewing experience, never detract. Viewers gravitate towards processes that enable any form of multitasking. Split-screen viewing will only further the user's propensity to concurrently consume various forms of content.

The ability for consumers to watch the same content together, via virtual watch parties while communicating in chat rooms, further supports the various opportunities to multitask. The option to virtually meet up with friends and watch content in a long-distance-type manner is appealing to many, especially younger generations. It mimics a movie theatre or in-person watch party setting, without having to leave the comfort of your own home.

Research Question 2 asked if a user’s ability to customize and control content would result in increased purchasing and viewing habits for those streaming services. Results showed that personalized content preferences were highly valued and would correlate with higher use. In terms of content preference, 48% of the participants responded that they like dramas/comedies the most; however, the preferences for the remaining genres were relatively evenly distributed within the midrange of possible outcomes. The data suggests that the lack of clear genre 33 preference supports customization, as consumer preference is unique for individuals; hence, a streaming service should allow for and promote personalization.

Alarmingly, 50% of the survey participants admitted to currently sharing passwords and using multiple accounts. A personalized program, with select services and content at a select price, would highly reduce password sharing as the personalization of the package would be unique to the user.

Research Question 3 considered the changing media landscape and the interest of individual's entertainment forms. It questioned if the broadest and most diverse offerings would be most successful. As previously stated, cable television offers an abundance of content readily available throughout the day. On-demand technologies and services put cable content at the viewer's discretion. An ideal streaming service must match or exceed the wealth of content options that cable offers in order to build from the consumers’ experience rather than offering a secondary option. From the findings, most college students do not subscribe to cable; the vast majority, 81.9% are not currently paying for cable, and 46.6% of respondents are subscribed to three or more streaming services. These consumers feel obligated to subscribe to multiple platforms so they can have access to a wide range of their favorite content. The current and only bundle option is with Disney+, HBO Max, and ESPN. It offers the broadest, most affordable option on the market. Disney+ recognized that their content is most appealing to a very targeted audience, unlike Netflix and Hulu. Their decision to create a bundling option with HBO Max and

ESPN was a strategic decision. This type of consolidation can be expected to continue.

Baseline or bundled prices could exist on the service with consumers having the option to alter the bundle and personally select their desired content, thereby determining the price. An attractive marketing scheme could allow consumers to tailor a personalized package that was 34 priced lower than the base. Past studies and the current findings from this study concurred that consumers would pay a higher price for an ideal service. From the findings, 63% of participants said they would pay $30.00-$49.99 a month if they had a streaming service with an unlimited amount of their favorite content. Considering price elasticity, an ideal streaming service would display an inelastic demand curve, as a price change would have less effect on buying.

All of these conclusions were evidence-based and contributed to the need for user satisfaction, personalization, broad content selections, various pricing options, and simultaneous viewing options for a leading, ideal streaming service in the future. A streaming service is likely to dominate the competitive marketplace if these five components are adopted and act as the preliminary fundamentals. NBCUniversal has the strong potential to be a winner in the on-going streaming wars if they implement these considerations into Peacock.

35

Limitations/Further Research

As is the nature of any research project, the survey responses and results raised additional questions that can be explored. For example, in the survey, split-screen viewing was questioned only as it applied to sports, but now it is obvious that the question could be applied to other genres. Questions could also be formulated to ask about consumer’s desire for watching content via extensions such as Netflix Party. Additional questions could focus on user-satisfaction levels with newer platforms being used. Saturday Night Live's recent parody about the virtual platform,

Zoom, not working seamlessly, is an example of commentary on user’s dissatisfaction.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented additional follow-up surveys and in-depth interviews to be conducted. Viewing habits were on the rise, but social distancing and quarantines significantly accelerated these behaviors. Newly adopted and aggressive media consumption behaviors, such as consuming audio and visual sources simultaneously, will only be adopted further. It is almost certain that any behaviors that were rising will be adopted and potentially normalized due to the effects of the pandemic. All of this underscores the importance of continued market research and testing to understand the new age of media consumption behaviors that COVID-19 has impacted.

36

Appendix A: Key Concepts

Linear Viewing: Supports traditional television viewing. In order to watch a show, the viewer must tune in to a specific channel on a television at an appointed time. Viewers access linear TV via subscription to cable or satellite services or through over-the-air broadcasts. Targets demographics according to ratings and time of day. Advertisers pay for viewership based on the viewer ratings. The viewer must tune in to a specific channel at an appointed time to watch content on a traditional TV.

Over-the-Top (OTT): is the term used for the delivery of film and TV content via the internet without requiring users to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay-TV service. OTT applications can be anything that disrupts the traditional delivery model. OTT targets customers according to their needs, interests, and location. Marketers and advertisers can target via a range of data variables, like demographics, psychographics, locations, and even past ad exposures to enable sequential messaging. The viewer can watch OTT video content at any time, any place, and on any device. Advertisers pay for the ad impressions/ad views.

Streaming Service: An online provider of entertainment (music, movies, etc.) that delivers the content via an Internet connection to the subscriber's computer, TV, or mobile device.

Subscription Video on Demand (SVODs): video streaming services that users must subscribe to in order to access.

37

Video on Demand (VOD): a video media distribution system that allows users to access video entertainment without a traditional video entertainment device and without the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule

38

Appendix B: Student Survey 1

The purpose of this survey is to study the thoughts and opinions of current students enrolled at a

university on their ideal streaming service and its’ contents. A streaming service is an on-

demand, online entertainment source for TV shows, movies, and other . These

services provide an alternative to cable and satellite on demand service.

This survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Your opinion will be used for research purposes only. Your participation is voluntary, and the researchers guarantee the confidentiality of your opinions and personal information provided.

Please contact Emily Onimus if you are interested in the results of this study. Contact her through [email protected]. For further information or questions, you can contact the research supervisor, Patrick Merle at [email protected]. Thank you for your participation.

Content

1. As you think of your typical television consumption, what type of genre do you mostly consume?

-Live sports/news

-Reality

-Dramas/comedies

-SiFi

-Thriller

-Documentaries 39

-Sitcoms

-Other

2. In your own words, please describe what a streaming service is to you?

-Free Response

3. Do you watch different sporting events on multiple screens? (ex. Simultaneously watching baseball on your phone and football on the television)

-Yes

-No

4. In a typical week, how often do you watch the following: Daily, 4-6 times a week, 2-3 times a week, once a week, never

- Live sports at home

-Live sports at a restaurant or sports bar

-Please select once a week

-Shows off of a streaming service

5. Please rate your level of enjoyment for the following: (Like a great deal, like somewhat, neither like nor dislike, dislike somewhat, dislike a great deal, I do not what that show)

-The Office

-Friends

-Game of Thrones 40

-The Walking Dead

-Saturday Night Live

-Chicago Fire

-Grey’s Anatomy

-Parks and Recreation

-Late Night Starring Jimmy Fallon

-Real Housewives

6. Do you listen to podcasts?

-Yes

-No

7. If so, what genre do you typically listen to?

-Nonfiction Narrative Storytelling

-Hybrid-has a set host, but often has other guests hosts or speakers who contribute to the show

-Interviews/Panel Discussion

-Repurposed Content

-Other

8. Are you currently subscribed to any podcast accounts?

-Yes

-No

41

9. What is the average length of the show/video you generally watch?

-10 min or less

-10-25 min

-25-45 min

-45 min+

10. How likely are you to binge watch a series?

-Extremely likely

-Somewhat likely

-Neither likely nor unlikely

-Somewhat unlikely

-Extremely unlikely

11. How frequently do you consume the following? (Daily, 4-6 times a week, 2-3 times a week, once a week, never)

-Printed materials written in a foreign language

-Written news from foreign countries

-Broadcast news from foreign countries

-Telecasts of sporting events from foreign countries

-Entertainment events in a foreign language

-Music streams from foreign-language performers

12. Please rate NBC according to the response options provided:

-Reliable

-Trustworthy 42

-Credible

13. Please rate Fox according to the response options provided:

-Reliable

-Trustworthy

-Credible

15. Please rate according to the response options provided:

-Reliable

-Trustworthy

-Credible

16. Please rate Cable/Local News according to the response options provided:

-Reliable

-Trustworthy

-Credible

17. On a typical day, how frequently do you consume the following: (less than an hour, 1-2 hrs, 3-4hrs, 4hrs +)

-

-Facebook

-

-Snapchat 43

-YouTube

-Audio Books

-Podcasts

-Tik Tok

18. Are you subscribed or have an account to the following:

-The Wall Street Journal

-New York Times

-The Morning Brew

-The Daily Skimm

-Apple News

-Flipboard

-Twitter

-Other

19. How frequently do you consume your news from the following sources? (Daily, 4-6 times a week, 2-3 times a week, once a week, never)

-New York Times

-The Wall Street Journal

-Live News Broadcasts (ie. NBC, Fox, CNN, etc.)

-Morning Newsletters

-Apple News

-Podcasts

-Twitter 44

20. If you had a streaming service with an unlimited amount of your favorite content, whether that was live sports, exclusive podcasts, dramas/comedies, movies, newsletters, etcetera, how much would you be willing to pay for the service?

-$30-$49.99/month

-$50-$74.99/month

-$75-$89.99/month

-$90+/month

-Other

21. How long of an ad are you willing to watch if you are tuning in to consume your favorite content?

-not willing to watch an ad

-6 seconds or less

-7-15 seconds

-16-30 seconds

-31 seconds +

22. How likely are you to skip an ad if given the option?

-Extremely likely

-Somewhat likely

-Neither likely nor unlikely

-Somewhat unlikely

-Extremely unlikely 45

23. Do you currently pay for cable?

-Yes

-No

21. How many paid tv streaming services are you subscribed to? (ex. Netflix, Hulu,

PlayStation Vue)

-None

-1

-2

-3

-4+

22. Do you password share?

-Yes

-No

-Prefer not to answer

23. If so, how many different passwords are you sharing?

-None

-1

-2

-3 46

-Prefer not to answer

24. How many of the following products do you own: smart phone, smart tv, smart watch, laptop, desktop, iPad, airpods?

-None

-1

-2

-3

-4+

Please click the arrow below if you wish to proceed.

The following questions will not influence the survey results, but instead will be used in order to gather background information about our participants. All questions are anonymous and confidential and will not affect the data. Answer at your own discretion.

25. What is your gender?

-Male

-Female

-Prefer not to answer

47

26. When do you intend to graduate?

-2020

-2021

-2022

-2023

-Other

27. To which ethnic or racial group(s) do you most identify with?

-African-American

-Asian/Pacific Islander

-Caucasian

-Latino or Hispanic

-Native American

-Other

-Prefer not to answer

28. Where were you born?

-Southeast

-Northeast

-Midwest 48

-West

-Outside of the US

-Prefer not to answer

29. What is your major of study?

-Open-ended

49

Appendix C: In-depth Interview Questions

1. In your opinion what is a streaming service?

2. On a typical day, what type of content do you consume? Please begin when you first

wake up and chronologically describe the content throughout your day.

3. What devices do you consume the content on?

4. What streaming services are you currently subscribed to?

5. Are multiple users sharing the accounts?

6. What news sources are you subscribed to?

7. Do you listen to podcasts?

8. Do you listen to audio books?

9. Do you listen to music?

10. Are you currently happy with your streaming service options? If not, why?

The interviewer will get the consent from the interviewee to record their responses and will tell them the following: “All questions are anonymous and confidential and will not affect the data.

Please answer at your own discretion.” The interviewer will record the data from the in-depth interviews with an iPhone’s voice memo function in addition to notes taken during the interview.

In-Depth Interview Responses

1.! Any service that provides content such as movies, tv shows, games, photos etc.

2.! Spotify, YouTube, Netflix

3.! Phone, computer, tv

4.! Netflix Hulu amazon video YouTube Spotify iTunes 50

5.! Yes, on Netflix

6.! Morning brew, apple news

7.! Yes

8.! No

9.! Yes, all the time

10.!Yes!

1.! A streaming service is a program that allows me to stream a selection of media that is

usually on a payment plan.

2.! I wake up, scroll on IG then check Snap. Then I listen to Spotify all day when I work,

music. If I drive long distances, I listen to podcasts. I scroll through Tik Tok and Twitter

at night for an hour or so

3.! Smart TV, Laptop, iPhone

4.! Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, Netflix Plus, Spotify

5.! Yes

6.! None

7.! Yes

8.! Yes

9.! Yes

10.!No, I wish there was more selections based on how much I pay per service

1.! A platform on my phone or computer that allows me to access media. 51

2.! /Email, Social Media, News, Google search results, Spotify Music,

Audiobooks, TV Series, Social Media 7 more times, Audiobook again, online workouts

(Typically YouTube), Movie

3.! Phone, Computer and Smart TV (when I’m home)

4.! My family just got rid of cable and did the bundle and stuff. I mainly use Netflix and

sometimes HBO or Amazon Prime.

5.! Yes - dad, 2 brothers, grandma and me.

6.! News App and daily email updates from the NY Times

7.! Not currently but I have.

8.! Yes!

9.! If someone says no to this than they are living a very sad life. Yes, of course :)

10.!I am happy! I would love if it was less spread out. Sometimes I feel crazy when I’m

looking for a specific movie and have to check all the different streaming services.

1.! A service with a media library that I consume at my leisure.

2.! I might do some reading over breakfast, either a book or an article or things I wrote down

to review. I don't really consume anything else except maybe scrolling on twitter for a bit

around midday or the early afternoon. I'll sometimes watch a movie or TV in the

afternoon/evening, but not most days. Oh, I have been listening to an audiobook lately. I

listen to that on bike rides and during lunch.

3.! Phone and MacBook

4.! Netflix, prime, YouTube tv, Spotify

5.! Yes 52

6.! None

7.! Yes

8.! Yes

9.! Yes

10.!I guess! My music app doesn't really win on the suggestion front.

1.! A streaming service is an app or website where I can watch or listen to shows, podcasts

or music.

2.! In the morning I listen to music as I get ready for the day and do homework, then I’ll

listen to music or a podcast if I go for a walk and then at night I’ll watch a tv show using

a streaming service.

3.! Either my phone or laptop.

4.! I have Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Go.

5.! Yes, my whole family shares all of them.

6.! None

7.! Not a lot. I have trouble getting into them.

8.! No.

9.! Yes constantly.

10.!I wish the shows and movies I liked were grouped together on one service as opposed to

spread out all over the place.

1.! Platform where you can access content via WiFi - usually paid in a subscription form

2.! Morning to lunch - Instagram, Lunch to bed- YouTube 53

3.! iPhone 8+ and MacBook Air

4.! Spotify & Netflix

5.! Family account, yes

6.! WSJ - only because professor requires it

7.! Yes

8.! No

9.! Yes

10.!Yes

1.! A service with a media library that I pay for and watch on my own terms.

2.! I wake up and scroll on Tik Tok, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and read the Morning

Brew and the Daily Skimm. Throughout the day, I listen to podcasts and Spotify and

occasionally tune into audio books. I get updates from the WSJ throughout the day. At

night, I watch shows on either Netflix or Hulu or just YouTube.

3.! iPhone 8 plus and my laptop

4.! Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon Prime

5.! Accounts with my parents, sister and best friends

6.! WSJ, Apple News, New York Times, Morning Brew, Daily Skimm

7.! Yes

8.! Yes

9.! Yes

10.!I don’t like that I have so many accounts. I feel like I pay so much and don’t even get all

the content I like. 54

1.! An app or website where you can watch videos/tv/news/sports on demand

2.! First I listen to the news: up first with NPR, Skimm podcast, then music or entertaining

podcasts such as girls gotta eat paranormal or true crime etc. I receive emails of news: the

skimm, but spaceship internet brunch (including pop culture), need2know, morning brew.

I listen to music and podcasts all day on Spotify. At night I watch tv on Netflix, Hulu,

Amazon Prime, HBO.

3.! Phone and laptop

4.! Netflix, Hulu, amazon prime

5.! I share HBO and Prime

6.! The Skimm, big spaceship internet brunch, morning brew, need2know

7.! Yes, on Spotify

8.! Yes, on Scribd

9.! Yes, on Spotify

10.!No, I wish I didn’t have so many different accounts to access all the content I like to

consume on a daily basis.

55

References

Adhikari, V.K. (2015). Measurement Study of Netflix, Hulu, and a Tale of Three CDNs.IEEE/ACM

Transactions on Networking, Networking, IEEE/ACM Transactions on, IEEE/ACM Trans.

Networking, (6), 1984. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNET.2014.2354262

Advanced Television. “Research: Gen Z driving Covid-19 media habits” March 27, 2020.

https://advanced-television.com/2020/03/27/research-gen-z-driving-covid-19-media-habits/

Alexander, J. (2019, August 6). Disney announces a $12.99 bundle for Disney, Hulu, and ESPN.

Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/6/20757626/disney-plus-espn-hulu-bundle-

price-date-streaming-service.

Alexander, J. (2020, January 16). Here's what NBC's Peacock streaming service will look like when it

launches this July. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/16/21069410/nbc-peacock-

streaming-service-interface-channels-trending-search-hubs-live-tv

Barnes, B. (2019, November 18). The Streaming Era Has Finally Arrived. Everything is About to

Change. Retried from

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/national/business/story/2019/nov/18/streaming-era-has-

finally-arrived-everything-about-change/508554/

Baron, Jessica. “The Key to Gen Z.” Retrieved from Forbes. July 3, 2019. 56 https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicabaron/2019/07/03/the-key-to-gen-z-is-video-

content/#13094434848f

Carstens, D. S. 1. C. ed., Doss, S. K. 2. S. fit. ed., & Kies, S. C. 3. sdoss@barry. ed. (2018). Social

Media Impact on Attention Span. Journal of Management & Engineering Integration, 11(1), 20–

27. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aci&AN=136702609&site=pfi-live

Dunn, Mikey. “What Gen Z is Watching Online - and What That Means for Marketers in 2020.”

Retrieved from Social Media Today. February 11, 2020.

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/what-gen-z-is-watching-online-and-what-that-means-

for-marketers-in-2020/572021/

Henricks, B. C., & Shelton, R. (2015). Mastering the new media landscape: embrace the micromedia

mindset. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat05720a&AN=fsu.PDA001304911&s

ite=pfi-live

Impact of Quality Factors on Users’ Viewing Behaviors in Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Services. (2019).

2019 Eleventh International Conference on Quality of Experience (QoMEX), Quality

of Multimedia Experience (QoMEX), 2019 Eleventh International Conference On, 1.

https://doi.org/10.1109/QoMEX.2019.8743191

57

JARVEY, N. (2018). What the Kids Are Watching (and How): New data reveals Generation Z is

embracing digital entertainment at an unprecedented rate, representing a seismic shift in

consumption habits that is radically transforming media: “There’s no putting the genie back in

the bottle.” Hollywood Reporter, 424(26), 38. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=131140328&site=pfi-live

Marvis, C. (2017). Getting to the Point in Short Order: Short-form video is linear TV’s to winning

millennial audiences. Broadcasting & Cable, 147(18), 30. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bft&AN=124742524&site=pfi-live

Marvin, R. (2019, September 16). How Much Would You Spend on Streaming Services Per Month? PC

Mag. Retrieved from https://www.pcmag.com/news/370728/how-much-would-you-spend-on-

streaming-services-per-month.

Mendelson, S. (2019, November 4). As Disney and Apple Battle Netflix, The Big Losers In The

Streaming Wars Could Be Us. Forbes. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/11/04/the-biggest-losers-in-the-streaming-

wars-may-be-audiences/#6570eaab4feb.

Nanji, Ayaz. “Less Facebook, More Snapchat: How Social Media Habits Vary Among Generations.”

Retrieved from Marketing Profs. November 19, 2019

https://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2019/42072/how-social-media-habits-vary-among-

generations 58

NBCUNIVERSAL ANNOUNCES 'PEACOCK' AS THE NAME OF ITS STREAMING SERVICE

AND UNVEILS INITIAL CONTENT LINEUP. (2019, September 19). Retrieved from

http://www.nbcuniversal.com/press-release/nbcuniversal-announces-‘peacock’-name-its-

streaming-service-and-unveils-initial.

Perez, Sarah. “Nielsen: the Second Screen Is Booming as 45% Often or Always Use Devices While

Watching TV.” TechCrunch, TechCrunch, 12 Dec. 2018, .com/2018/12/12/nielsen-

the-second-screen-is-booming-as-45-often-or-always-use-devices-while-watching-tv/.

PrakashYadav, G. gyanprakashaicte@gmail. co., & Rai, J. jyotsnarai. faculty@gmail. co. (2017). The

Generation Z and their Social Media Usage: A Review and a Research Outline. Global Journal

of Enterprise Information System, 9(2), 110–116. https://doi.org/10.18311/gjeis/2017/15748

Rowe, A. (2019, April 28). For The First Time, 50% Of Americans Have Listened To An Audiobook.

Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamrowe1/2019/04/27/for-the-first-time-50-of-

americans-have-listened-to-an-audiobook/#243a27d97d52.

Singh, S. (2017). Gen Z boasts the largest, most diverse media users yet: Report. Gulf Marketing

Review, 2. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=124632825&site=pfi-live

59

Steigrad, Alexandra. NBCUniversal Jeff Shell says he has coronavirus. New York Post, 26 Mar. 2020.

Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2020/03/26/nbcuniversal-ceo-jeff-shell-says-he-has-

coronavirus/

SVOD Platform Audience. The Case of Netflix, Blockbuster, Hulu and HBO. (2019). 2019 14th Iberian

Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI), Information Systems and

Technologies (CISTI), 2019 14th Iberian Conference On, 1.

https://doi.org/10.23919/CISTI.2019.8760790

The Biggest Business Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic eMarketer March 14, 2020. Retrived from

https://www.emarketer.com/content/the-biggest-business-impacts-of-the-coronavirus-pandemic-

according-to-business-insider-intelligence

Thomas, Gavin and Shaw, M. (2019) Power of Podcasts (Editorial). The Sport and Exercise Scientist,

59. p. 10. ISSN 1754-3444

Tuttle, B. (2019). What’s the Best Streaming Service for Your Money Now? Money, 48(3), 5–6.

Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=135136084&site=pfi-live

Your guide to new ways to watch TV in 2019. (2019, January 7). Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/entertainment/new-streaming-services-2019/.

60

Video-Streaming Services Battle for Subscribers. (2019, October 23). Wall Street Journal Video.

Retrieved November 5, 2019, from https://www.wsj.com/video/video-streaming-services-battle-

for-subscribers/AED37E41-E1EC-447A-A47F-C55D1834B7E0.html.