Who Decides What to Watch on TV at Home? Insights from People-Meter Data in Mexico Measuring Co-Viewing and Preference Influences To Help Broadcasters Promote Programming

摘要

How do household members influence one another's television-viewing behaviors, and how can these behaviors affect new programming? The current study offers a method to separate two different sources of interpersonal influence among television viewers in the same household: what the authors call "social co-viewing" and the intrinsic preferences of another viewer independent of co-viewing. Applying the method to people-meter data from Mexico, the researchers found that, ultimately, wives were more influential than husbands in building audiences. The authors believe their method can be applied to any people-meter data, providing insight for programmers promoting new shows and for advertisers choosing programs to sponsor in the upfront market.