What drives success of a TV-show ?

For the interim project submission, I need the following from you: (i.e. the report should
contain the following):
a. Intro
b. Quali work done so far (with justification for the same e.g. if focus group, why focus
group and not DI)
c. Findings from the quali work done so far
d. Lit review
e. Hypotheses
f. Questions for each Dependent and Independent variable

Submitted by:
Section 3 : Group 5

Introduction:

Tv show is destined to release in set of episodes for mass entertainment. TV show is the
chief source of entertainment to the people.

Type of tv shows:
Sports
Sitcom
Documentary
Daily soap
Cartoon
Travel or Holiday
Kids/Childrens
Drama
Makeover
News
Cookery
Reality Tv

We did deep stick research to know what kinds of shows are popular among population.
We came to know that sitcom, daily soap and reality tv are most popular categories
among population. Our further research is based on those findings.

Qualitative research :
To gain better insight into the minds of tv viewers,we carried out in depth interviews of
8 viewers to identify new independent and dependent variables.It also helped us to
know the usability of variables that we identified after the literature review for our
research project.

Justification for in-depth interviews:

As there are many factors that drive the success of a tv show, we wanted to narrow down
on the factors that mattered the most.Unlike focus group,we had advantage of time and
considerably more degree of freedom in choosing the factors to be discussed .We did not
want the participants to be influenced by the peer group.We indeed conducted a focus
group, but found participants were speaking about same factor and it got repetitive so
we went ahead with in depth interviews.

Participants were asked following open ended questions

1. Which tv shows do you watch?

2. What factors do you like about the show?
3. Could you please suggest areas of improvement for the show you watch?
4. What role does social media/peer group in deciding which tv show to watch?
5. Could you elaborate on the importance of plot/concept.
6. What is the relevance of sound effects and visual appeal in a TV show?
7. For what duration do you watch a particular TV show?
8. Please elaborate on how casting of the TV show affects your interest for the show?
9. How do you promote/recommend your favourite TV show?
10. What made you dislike a particular TV show?
11. Do you discuss about your tv-show on social media platforms?
12. What time slot you prefer to watch your tv-show?

Focus group interview:

We conducted two focus group interviews. We started with an open ended question -
What are the factors you look in a tv-show?
Each interview was moderated for 15 mins. This technique provided with us with vast
list of factors as below-

Cast Glamor Forums Timing Duration Soundtrack

VFX Cultural Promotion Recos Photography FB posts

Social connect Concept Gossips Advertising Celebrity Storyline

Controversies Friends Performance Language Anchor Background

Literature Review:

According to Dennis and Grey(2013) ,The findings revealed Audience Satisfaction as

a dynamic construct that is predicted by Expectations, Program Performance, and, to
some extent ,Connectedness overtime.The six dimensions of connectedness (C)
comprise :
aspiration,
modeling,
imitation,
fashion,
paraphernalia, and
escape.

From the works that concentrated on behavioural variables, Lu and Lo (2007)

pointed out that, based on the connection that viewers develop with television
characters in the television environment, satisfaction with drama series increases
significantly. The results obtained indicated the importance of the connectedness
construct in the formation of satisfaction with drama television series. In the work by
LaRose and Atkin (1988), behavioural variables did not allow predicting the
satisfaction of subscribers of a North American cable television company. This result
does not coincide with the result obtained in the work by Jacobs (1995).

Key findings:
1. Short term effects created by the TV shows has long term effect on the individuals.
Decisions and rationale
2. Factors people see in an actor :
What type of actor he is? Is he famous? Belief in the acto..
3. Increasing value of human attention for the success of the show
4. Show airtime/ Clash with other shows/shows just before and after it
5. Recommendation channels via Facebook, Twitter activity [Nielsen]
6. Design of the show structure - Seasons/episodes- Leaving open ended discussion for
the show - hinges on simplicity
7. Consumer socialization in teengers - Realty Tv - RTV
8. TRP alone doesn't determine --- High(discovery)-Low(Fashiontv) value Index and
High(Live match)-low(Rajya sabha) engagement index
9. Catchy soundtracks, music play an important role, and so does continuity element

Constructs:
Dependent Variable : Y ~ Popularity of the show [as success of the show]

Independent variable: X as listed below ~

Emotional connect & Aspiration
Glamor quotient
Cinematic appeal
Concept of tv-show
Time slot

Questionnaires:

For Y :

Measuring popularity/familiarity

1) I often discuss about my favorite tv-show with my friends, peers, families, relatives.
2) I usually like/share/post/tweet about my favorite tv-show on social media platforms
3) I seldom skip my favorite tv-show
4) I usually find articles about my tv-show in news, magazines, blogs, etc

1) I like watching tv show

For X:

Measuring Imitation
1) I imitate gestures and facial expression from characters of my favourite tv show
2) I find myself saying phrases from my favourite tv shows when i interact with
others.
3) I try to speak like the characters in my favourite show

Measuring connection
Hypothesis : people often get connected by tv show, they imitate their
gesture and try to be like them in real life
1) I have objects that relate to my favorite tv shows(books, badge, picture)
2) I can relate the plot of the tv-show to my personal life.

Measuring Aspiration
Hypothesis: The characteristics of viewers, such as their aspirations,their habits etc..
can have an influence on their perceptions of show, their satisfaction levels and their
intention to watch a television programme
1) I would love to meet the characters of the TV show.
2) I would love to be an actor in real life

Measuring Fashion
Hypothesis : A viewers satisfaction from watching their favourite actors and cast has a
direct and positive effect on their intention to watch the show
1) I like the clothes my favourite stars wear on tv show
2) I buy the clothing /accessories that I have seen on TV show.
3) I like the hairstyle of my favourite characters

Measuring CAST
1) The characters or cast in the TV show capture my attention.
2) I like the acting performance of the characters.

Measuring Cinematic appeal

Hypothesis: The perceived quality of cinematic editing of the tv-show has a direct and
positive effect on popularity/success(dependent variable) of the show.

1) I like visual effects in the TV show.

2) Visual effects in TV show doesnt catch my attention.

Measuring Concept
Hypothesis: The quality of the plot/storyline/concept has a direct and positive effect
on the success of TV shows.

1) I am drawn towards a compelling storyline/concept.

2) The plot keeps running through my mind even after Ive seen it.
3) The plot was too complex. I was not able to follow it.

Measuring Escape:
1) Watching TV shows helps in elevating my spirits.
2) Watching TV shows helps me forget about my daily problems.
Measuring factor: Duration
Hypothesis: Viewership of the show depends on time slot of the tv -show

1) I usually prefer to watch the show post evening or outside office hours
2) I like the duration of the show to be around 30~60 mins per episode
New Method suggested. Are we really going to implement this? short of time its better
to compromise by dropping this factor.

References:

Intervention: Reality TV, Whiteness, and Narratives of Addiction - Jessie Daniels

(2012), Intervention: Reality TV, Whiteness, and Narratives of Addiction, in Julie
Netherland(ed.) Critical Perspectives on Addiction (Advances in Medical Sociology,
Volume 14) Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.103 - 125

Md Ridhwanul Haq Syed Hakimur Rahman , (2015),"Role of reality TV as a consumer-

socialization agent of teenagers in a developing country", International Journal of
Emerging Markets, Vol. 10 Iss 3 pp. -

Keqing Y. Ratings are not the only measure of a TV show's success. Media: Asia's Media
& Marketing Newspaper [serial online]. September 24, 2009;:12. Available from:
Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed June 29, 2015.

BAUMGARTNER J. TV Everywhere's Success Hinges on Simplicity: Panel.

Multichannel News [serial online]. December 16, 2013;34(47):6. Available from:
Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed June 29, 2015

Indian Reality TV Shows: An Empirical Study on Perceptions:Kumar, Satinder;

Chaudhary, Sonika. Srusti Management Review6.1 (Jan-Jun 2013): 31-35.
Lu, X., & Lo, H. (2007). Television audience satisfaction: antecedents and
consequences. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(3), 354-363.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2501/S0021849907070365

LaRose, R., & Atkin, D. (1988). Satisfaction, demographic, and media environment
predictors cable subscription.Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 32(4), 403-
413.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08838158809386712

BC Singhal & Rogers (1989) Prosocial_Television_for_Development_in_India

Bollywood queen steps into India's battle of the TV soaps, Author: MERCHANT,
KHOZEM, ProQuest document link
Gratifications of Daytime TV Serial Viewers Compesi, Ronald
J.,Journalism Quarterly, v57 n1 p155-58 Spr 1980

SPINNING THE WHEEL: WHAT MAKES TV, SERIES-SPIN-OFFS SUCCESSFUL?,

Thomas Kilian, Universitt Koblenz-Landau, Germany & Tessa Schwarz, Universitt
Mannheim, Germany

Television soap operas for development in India1, ARTICLE in INTERNATIONAL

COMMUNICATION GAZETTE JANUARY 1988

1 Ramli Mohamed2 & Sharifah Nadiah Syed Mukhiar 3 BASIC DESIRES AND REALITY
TELEVISION: FACTORS INFLUENCING VIEWERSHIP OF AKADEMI FANTASIA IN
MALAYSIA
Leave below unedited

Factors so far :

Factors you control

1 Choice of actors, performances
2 Story, script, plot, design
3 Soundtracks picture editing - cinematography
4 Timing the show, other dynamics

Factors - (Divya ) found

(1) topic
(2) theme(e.g., message, meaning, and subject matter).
(3) scriptwriting and plot design,
(4) dialogue
and language
(5) casting and performance
(6) photography and visual effect, and
(7)music and songs
(8)Audience Satisfaction

Factors (Shamipa)
1. A good promo campaign in the network - Promotions during highly rated
broadcasts
2. pilot episode
3. Timeslot
4. Concept of the show
5. Multiple story lines
6. Audience comfort
7. loyal network support
8. Critical acclaims and awards can get the attention of viewers.

Factors you dont control

1.desire of people for social contact, curiosity, tranquillity and social status
2. Relatedness
3.Publics fickle taste
4. Geographical and cultural support, emotional connect
5. Recommendation channel like FB, twitter, office, friends, homes, gossips!
Factors (Megha)
1. reflects dreams,struggles and emotions of common man
2. family appeal-watching together-attracts across age groups.
3. ordinary people captured in real-life situations seems to arouse the audience.
4. interesting scripts and out of the box ideas that made them stand out from the
run of the mill shows.

Links
1.http://edition.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/06/sprj.caf03.staying.power/
2.http://www.starpulse.com/news/Kevin_Olsta/2008/09/22/tv_what_makes_a_new
_show_successful_
3.BASIC DESIRES AND REALITY TELEVISION: FACTORS INFLUENCING
VIEWERSHIP OF AKADEMI FANTASIA IN MALAYSIA1 Ramli Mohamed2 & Sharifah
Nadiah Syed Mukhiar 3
4. http://tvandfilmreview.com/2014/07/26/what-makes-a-good-sitcom/

Links :
http://meetingwords.com/ObH2iD3ZhE

Introduction

Literature review
Observations to be used for factors and literature review
DIVYA
Reality television:
Consumer Satisfaction with Television Viewing: Insight for the
Entertainment Industry
Vassilis Dalakas , Jeff Langenderfer

1.But counter-intuitively, viewer

animosity toward a drama participant (whether as a character in a series
or movie, a participant in a reality television competition, or an athlete in
a contest), under certain circumstances, may enhance rather than diminish
the probability that a particular program is selected to be watched
2.connectedness,
3.to media and entertainment
consumption, including reality television. Ratings are likely
to be stronger when the shows involve both likable and nonlikable characters.
Viewers like to root for likable characters, but, as our study
found, it is the conflict between these likable characters and the unlikable
ones that keeps viewers truly interested.

An Episode-by-Episode Examination:
Whiat Drives Television-Viewer Behavior Digging Down into Audience
Satisfaction with Television Dramas ,DONALD MILLER DENNIS,DAVID
MICHAEL GRAY

1.AS is "the television viewer's

fulfillment response to a television experience or some part thereof"
AS framework:

Expectations (E) are a pre-consumption

behavior;
involvement (I) and program performance
(PP) are consumption behaviors;
and
connectedness (C) is a post-consumption
behavior.

Within the context of television drama,

"transactional satisfaction" refers to "the
satisfaction a consumer derives from an
individual episode." By contrast, "summary
satisfaction" refers to "the satisfaction
that a consumer derives from an enfire television
drama series" (Oliver, 1997). AS with
a prior episode of television drama (AS^)
predicts subsequent expectations (E) of AS.
As a result, the following hypotheses are
proposed:
HI: AS with a prior episode of television
drama (AS^) predicts
subsequent expectations (E) of
AS (AS can represent both summary
and episodic satisfaction).
H2: There are statistically significant
differences between measures of
AS due to the episodic and often
serialized nature of television
dramas.
Finally, a previous study proposes television
dramas comprise seven distinct attributes
inclusive of (1) topic, (2) theme, (3)
scriptwriting and plot design, (4) dialogue
and language, (5) casting and performance,
(6) photography and visual effect, and (7)
music and songs (Lu and Lo, 2007).

SCALE : seven-item, seven-point semantic

differential scale (Bruner, 2009). This multiitem
scale has been used in a number of
consumer-satisfaction studies