Factors moderating the impact of word of mouth for TV and film broadcasts

This study builds on the research of East et al. (2008) into the relative impact of Positive and Negative Word of Mouth (PWOM, NWOM). It examines two low involvement categories with different consumer transaction patterns: TV programs and films. The results reveal that when prior viewing probabilities have equivalent room-to-change, PWOM and NWOM have the same level of impact for films, but PWOM is more influential than NWOM for TV programs. This is an important boundary condition for the work of East et al. (2008) and suggests that the value of NWOM should be discounted in TV programs, irrespective of the prior propensity to view. Consistent with East et al. (2008), we find that PWOM is more influential on those with lower viewing probabilities. Our findings provide guidance as to which type of viewers should be targeted with WOM campaigns to have the greatest effect on audience growth.

► We examine how valence and prior-viewing propensity influence the impact of word of mouth (WOM).
► We investigate two categories: TV programs and films.
► Positive WOM had most impact when initial viewing propensity was low.
► Negative WOM had most impact when initial viewing propensity was high.
► Positive WOM has the same or greater impact than NWOM, depending on the category.