CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Drexel Libraries E-Repository and Archives Cutting the Cord: Where Are All the Generation Y Viewers Going? A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Benjamin Harris Cohen in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Television Management December 2016 © Copyright 2016 Benjamin Harris Cohen. All Rights Reserved. ii Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................... vi 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Purpose of Study ........................................................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Research Questions ................................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Significance to the Field ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.5 Definitions ................................................................................................................................................. 5 1.6 Principle Hypothesis .................................................................................................................................. 6 1.7 Background ................................................................................................................................................ 7 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..................................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Technology .............................................................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Economics ............................................................................................................................................... 19 2.3 Social Norms and Conditions .................................................................................................................. 22 3. RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................................................................... 28 3.1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................................... 28 3.2 Procedure ................................................................................................................................................. 28 4. RESULTS .................................................................................................................................................. 30 4.1 Demographic Data ................................................................................................................................... 30 4.2 Economic Data ......................................................................................................................................... 32 4.3 Setting the Stage ...................................................................................................................................... 33 4.4 Access ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 4.4.1 Devices ................................................................................................................................................. 34 4.4.2 Services ................................................................................................................................................. 35 4.4.3 Service Costs ........................................................................................................................................ 38 iii 4.5 Viewing Habits ........................................................................................................................................ 43 4.6 Device Usage ........................................................................................................................................... 44 4.7 Content is King ........................................................................................................................................ 48 4.8 Viewing Habits and Competition ............................................................................................................ 54 4.8.1 Usage Scenarios .................................................................................................................................... 56 5. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................................ 59 5.1 Technology .............................................................................................................................................. 59 5.2 Economics ............................................................................................................................................... 60 5.3 Social Norms and Conditions ................................................................................................................... 62 6. LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH ....................................................................................... 64 7. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 66 LIST OF REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 67 APPENDIX A: Age of Survey Participants ................................................................................................... 71 APPENDIX B: State of Participant Origin ................................................................................................... 72 APPENDIX C: Racial Makeup of Participants ............................................................................................. 73 APPENDIX D: Factors Influencing Device Usage ....................................................................................... 74 APPENDIX E: Device Usage Viewing Preferences ..................................................................................... 76 APPENDIX F: Limiting Factors of Mobile Device Viewing ....................................................................... 79 APPENDIX G: Ideal Content Viewing Methods .......................................................................................... 81 iv List of Tables 1. List of Leading Internet Paid Subscription Content Services ......................................................... 42 2. Ownership of Web Content Providers ............................................................................................ 51 3. Shared Use of Web Content Providers ........................................................................................... 52 4. Mobile Viewing of Web Content Providers ................................................................................... 53 v List of Figures 1. Age Demographic of Study Participants ......................................................................................... 31 2. Income of Generation Y Participants .............................................................................................. 33 3. Changes in Mobile Viewing by Individual ..................................................................................... 34 4. Mobile Provider Subscriptions ........................................................................................................ 36 5. Internet Provider Subscriptions ....................................................................................................... 37 6. Cable Provider Subscriptions .......................................................................................................... 38 7. Data Costs per Month for Subscribers ............................................................................................. 40 8. Tolerance to Pricing for Unlimited Data Access (by number of Participants) ......................... 41 9. Cost of Cable and Phone Bill Impact on Use .................................................................................. 44 10. Time Spent Viewing by Device in Hours Per Month ..................................................................... 46 11. Usage of Multiple Devices for Viewing a Single Piece of Content ................................................. 48 12. Usage of Web Content Providers .................................................................................................... 49 13. Time Spent on Alternative Activities .............................................................................................