Investigating binge-watching and its effect on paid subscription: A mixed-method study based on SOR theory

Video-on-demand platforms encourage binge-watching (BW) to stimulate consumers' paid subscription. Despite decades of research, prior studies have yet to reach a consensus on the definition of BW, which results in inconsistent findings regarding its effect on paid subscription behavior. Drawing on stimuli-organism-response theory and parasocial interaction studies, we develop a conceptual model to explore the causal mechanism that links BW, the consumer organism (attractiveness, identification, involvement, and parasocial interaction), and responses (impulsive paid subscription). We also investigate how the boundary condition of BW (number of episodes watched) affects this causal mechanism. We conducted an online survey and two quasi-field experiments to collect data and verify the hypotheses. Our findings confirm that, compared with non-BW, BW offers enhanced attractiveness, identification, involvement, and parasocial interaction, which results in more impulsive paid subscription behavior. Moreover, it is valid to define BW as watching at least three episodes of a program, which reveals significant differences in viewers' impulsive paid subscription behavior. Implications for future BW research and marketing strategies for video-on-demand platforms are discussed. © 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.