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The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the role of e-service quality factors in predicting e-satisfaction. The study context was spirituality and well-being over-the-top services. The e-service quality factors consisted of perceived functional completeness, perceived performance, perceived quality of interface and interaction, perceived quality of content and information and perceived quality of customer support. The study goal was to ascertain over-the-top services customers’ behavioral intention toward upgrading to premium subscription and the spread of electronic word of mouth.

This study was based upon the integrated stimulus-organism-response framework where e-service quality represented the stimulus, e-satisfaction the organism, behavioral intention and electronic word of mouth as the response. The study used a moderated-mediation approach with e-satisfaction as the mediator and the price value of a premium subscription as the moderator. To empirically test the model, the authors collected data from 312 spirituality and well-being over-the-top services users in India. Partial least squares-structured equation modeling was used to analyze the collected data.

The findings of the study supported the association between e-service quality factors and e-satisfaction while using spirituality and well-being over-the-top service. The results furthermore indicated that satisfied spirituality and well-being over-the-top customers were willing to upgrade to the premium subscription and spread favorable electronic word of mouth. The moderated-mediation study results revealed that the price value of premium subscriptions moderated the relationship between e-service quality and e-satisfaction but did not moderate the relationship between e-satisfaction and behavioral intention, and e-satisfaction and electronic word of mouth.

This study offered a comprehensive stimulus-organism-response theoretical model by using the five e-service quality measurement factors as “stimuli” for motivating the internal state of spirituality and well-being over-the-top subscribers. This was toward sustained usage in over-the-top services subsequent to the end of the freemium period. Furthermore, in this study, both e-service quality theory and user satisfaction theory were integrated into the stimulus-organism-response model. This helped to better comprehend the impact of e-service quality factors in driving e-satisfaction among spirituality and well-being over-the-top service users.

This study revealed the significance of differentiating premium over-the-top subscriptions based on price value. To ensure a high level of e-satisfaction from a premium subscription, a greater emphasis on the e-service quality dimensions was required. This study provided insights to managers regarding the role of favorable electronic word of mouth in fostering effective customer acquisition.

This was one of the first studies which concurrently integrated perceived value of the premium subscription and e-satisfaction with customers’ behavioral intention and electronic word of mouth through the theoretical lens of stimulus-organism-response.

The purpose of this paper is to examine current trends in over the top (OTT) research through bibliometric analysis of Scopus and Web of Science indexed publications. This study attempted to identify the thrust areas that may be addressed through future research initiatives.

This study included bibliometric analysis of research articles published on OTT domain for a time period ranging from 2011 to 2021. The authors were able to extract 137 unique articles from selected databases with inclusion criteria limited to social sciences only. The retrieved data is then analyzed using the R studio and VoSviewer user interfaces. Finally, discussions on citations, keywords, authors and source contributions toward the development of field were presented using descriptive and visual displays.

OTT as a research theme has gained wider acceptance recently. However, there is a scarcity of studies on the subject. The authors discovered that previous studies in the field had focused on technological aspects of the domain thus leaving a plethora of opportunities for future researchers to explore. In this regard, the findings enlisted few unexplored domains specific to OTT that require immediate attention of the researchers and stakeholders. It was suggested to investigate the field from marketing, behavioral, regulatory, social and quality aspects so as to broaden its scope.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is going to be the first bibliometric study ever conducted on OTT research. This study may be considered unique in identifying current trends in OTT research and recommending a course of action for future researchers.

This paper aims to analyse how the top over-the-top (OTT) platform is becoming a preferred source of entertainment amongst young consumers over traditional Pay TV service (Cable TV/DTH) in India and what factors play a vital role in such preferences along with gamification of content. The study follows the theoretical framework of use and gratifications theory and Niche analysis.

The study establishes a conceptual framework of understanding the preference of consumers, which triggers the shift from old media to new. This research develops an approach to understanding the relevant implications in responses of consumers through a structured online survey conducted amongst different age groups by applying exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. To further comprehend the relations between measured variables and constructs, the statistical technique is incorporated, i.e. logistic regression.

Empirical results and discussion insinuated the five factors which affect consumers’ choices concerning entertainment i.e. content and viewing behaviour, expenses incurred on services, shifts influenced by offerings/incentives, convenience and telecom. Logistic regression validated the strength of these factors which made content and viewing behaviour, expenses incurred on services and convenience the three most important factors.

This study analyses the driving factors that are revolutionising the entertainment industry and can be applied in designing a comfortable and engaging experience for a consumer in the future.

This research is original in nature and the findings of this study are valuable for online streaming services, video-on-demand services, Cable TV operators and entertainment content producers.

The demand for over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services has grown manifold in the last few years. With increasing competition in the OTT market, it is vitally important for businesses to understand OTT retail consumers' continuance intentions. This study aims to understand the antecedents of the continuance intention of OTT platforms and distinguish the most essential and best-performing predictor variables of continuance intention.

The study employs an integrated research model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), flow theory and habit. Data collected from OTT retail consumers (n = 383) using the online survey method are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The results elucidated which TPB antecedents and dimensions of flow experience affect OTT platforms' continuance intention. The most important factors affecting continuance intention were habit, attitude and perceived behavioral control, while the best-performing factors were perceived behavioral control, perceived enjoyment and attitude.

The study is unique in harmoniously integrating conscious cognitive intention, intrinsic motivation and habit of performing an activity to explain OTT platforms' continuance intention.

The outbreak of COVID-19 saw a robust increase in viewership of over-the-top (OTT) media platforms. This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on OTT platforms in India, as it has led to reshaping consumer content preferences.

The authors have conducted primary research by doing a survey and focus group discussion. The first study has focused on the impact of various factors such as time, content, convenience, satisfaction and work from home (WFH) on OTT platforms during the COVID-19 crisis and the second study has focused on change in behavior of people before and during lockdown using visual representation.

The findings of this study show that lockdown has played a major role in the increase in viewership of OTT platforms, as people working from home are also using OTT platforms more. The average hours spent on OTT have increased from 0–2 to 2–5 h and average spending that users are willing to make on OTT platforms is Rs 100–300 (per month). The satisfaction level of customers is directly related to space to watch with family, time to use OTT platforms, the quality of content on OTT platforms and preference of OTT platform over television. Also, factors such as age group, occupation, city and income groups also determine the usage of the OTT platform.

The main contribution of this paper is to analyze the customer needs that impact their satisfaction level.

The purpose of this paper is to determine, rank and form composite relational factors that impact the millennial consumer’s mind-set when they opt for an access-based subscription of an over-the-top (OTT) platform service. In the competitive rising Indian market of OTT platforms, there is a need to understand what factors drive the subscription of a service for a company strategizing to build up on their customer base or for a company seeking to retain its customers.

The approach includes determining factors that impact the buying behavior of the consumer and have them ranked by the survey participants in order of their importance as a factor in considering a subscription of an OTT platform service. Questionnaire as a method is used for primary data collection in this research. Using “purposive sampling,” participants of the survey were determined based on their age group and current or historic consumption of at least one OTT platform service. The survey was conducted for the millennial viewership from Tier I and Tier II cities that have good internet connectivity over their mobile phones.

The result of this research is a ranking of factors based on their importance as perceived by the millennial consumers and then form composite factors, which have similarities in responses.

This research enables the consumers of the information to dwell on the factors that prove to be of comparative importance to the consumer and plan/forecast their strategies and further research studies accordingly.

A research along similar lines has been conducted for US-based OTT platforms. However, this research is specific for Indian consumers and platforms and holds significance because of growth in the Indian OTT market.

Millions of dollars are being spent by over-the-top platform (OTT) providers to produce content for the Indian market. These circumstances highlight the necessity for a solution that attracts and maintains customers, enabling OTT providers to generate revenues and profits. This study explores the underlying gratifications (e.g. informative; connectivity) obtained from over-the-top platform (OTT) attributes (e.g. global content; regional and cultural content) through consequences (e.g. create awareness; related to reality).

Means-end chain theory uncovered gratifications consumers fulfill through the use of OTT platforms. The laddering technique explores the linkage among attributes, consequences and gratifications that influence OTT platforms' consumers' consumption patterns. In total, 27 interviews were conducted in India, and participants responded to questions regarding attributes of OTT platforms, consequences and gratifications in a one-on-one interview procedure. Hierarchical value maps were built to better understand customer selection of OTT platforms based on the replies.

The results suggested that six attributes of OTT platforms (for ex-global content; regional and rural content; rating before watching) were associated with the four consequences (for ex-create awareness; related to reality; saves time), which were associated with four gratifications, which are informativeness, connectivity, social enhancement and productivity.

The prospective function of OTT services in the entertainment and media business has grabbed consumer attention. However, limited literature focuses on identifying gratifications consumers gain from OTT attributes. Through these findings, managers and practitioners can gain insights regarding strategies to increase OTT adoption and help develop a loyal consumer base.

COVID-19 preventive measures disrupted the media and entertainment business ecosystem, increased over the top (OTT) consumption, brought new OTT players, thus increased competition, and shaped consumer behaviour and habits. Despite this knowledge, in-depth insights into OTT's consumer behaviour, new usage habit and strategies used by subscription-based OTT platforms to maintain resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. This paper aims to fill the two gaps in the extant OTT literature.

This study used Eisenhardt's multiple case studies approach to derive the strategies used by the top-performing subscription-based OTT platforms in India. Moreover, a purposive semi-structured Google survey was used to explore consumers' OTT experience during the pandemic. This study analysed data using NVivo 12 (survey) and MS Excel 2010 (case studies).

This study derived seven resilient OTT strategies; competitive low pricing, enhancing customer experience, launching innovative service plans, content localisation, strategic collaboration, flexibility in technology adoption and proactive sales promotion. Consequent to adopting these strategies, consumers' usage of OTT evolved from occasional to habitual. Convenience, ease of accessibility, risk of contracting COVID-19, variety and quality of content, online reviews and affordability drive consumer preference for OTT. Also, this study revealed consumers' varied OTT experiences.

The contribution is two-fold; the derived strategies for maintaining resilience and the in-depth insights into habit formation and consumer behaviour during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is valuable for media and entertainment stakeholders like streaming service providers, OTT services, cable operators, etc.

Over-the-top (OTT) services, which provide streaming media through all devices in online setting, have surpassed the traditional content providers in the market. However, there is still no clear empirical evidence that indicates what recommendation agent values affect the users' search experience while using the OTT services and how it leads to continuous subscription. To address this gap, this study aims to examine recommendation agent values influencing search experience, which in turn affects decision satisfaction and continuance intention.

This study empirically develops and tests a research model with data obtained from 212 survey respondents in Korea. Structural equation modeling with partial least square approach was used to analyze the data.

(1) Recommendation agent variables such as match score accuracy, recommended content variety and thumbnail image appeal affect search experience variables such as perceived diagnosticity and perceived serendipity; (2) perceived diagnosticity and perceived serendipity of search experience increase decision satisfaction; and (3) decision satisfaction increases intention to continue to subscribe to OTT services.

Despite the widespread use of recommendation agents in OTT services, limited attention has been paid to understand what specific values of recommendation agents lead subscribers to continue their subscription. The findings of this study clarify subscribers' continuous subscription behavior in OTT services in terms of the recommendation agent values and search experience perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and predict the key factors that influenced the usage intention of over the top (OTT) services by consumers. This was done by applying the modified unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) model.

An online survey questionnaire assessed the proposed motivational factors for the adoption of OTT services. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted on collected data (n = 598) to demonstrate the reliability and validity of the measurement and structural model.

The model consisted of nine factors, namely, value expectancy (VE), ease of effort (EE), social influence (SI), favourable infrastructure conditions (FIC), hedonistic motivation for usage (HMU), favourable economic position (FEP), content quality (CQ), habitual behaviour (HB) and security conditions (SC). SC, VE, SI, HB and EE were the antecedent variables. FEP, CQ and FIC were the mediating variables and HMU was the dependant variable. SI and CQ of OTT services were positively associated with HMU of OTT services, FEP had no significant effects on HMU. The results also supported the explanatory strength and predictability of UTAUT2 as a model. It further extended UTAUT2 boundaries and paved the way for an extended UTAUT2 model to be developed.

The promising role of OTT services in the entertainment and media industry had gained consumer attention, however, limited empirical investigations had been conducted on explicating how user attitude and usage intention were shaped regarding the use of OTT services in the Indian context. This study served as one of the first attempts to empirically examine the adoption process, with implications for the HMU regarding OTT services. This was one of the first studies to extend the UTAUT2 theoretical model.