Journal of Media Studies, Vol 38, No 2 (2023)

Font Size:  Small  Medium  Large

Investigating Factors Influencing Chinese Cinephiles in the Post-Pandemic Era

Muhammad Yaqoub, Mukhtar Ahmmad, Jonathan Matusitz, Wang Haizhou

Abstract


The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped China's film consumption, moving audiences from theaters to over-the-top (OTT) platforms. This study delves into the factors molding the preferences of Chinese cinephiles in this new era, particularly emphasizing the dynamic interplay between OTT platforms and traditional cinema. Leveraging a survey conducted in Tier I cities, encompassing 656 participants, this research scrutinizes demographic variables, technological influences, and consumption patterns. Findings illuminate intriguing trends: while females exhibit a slight inclination towards OTT platforms, males marginally favor traditional cinemas. Notably, young adults aged 21 to 25 emerge as avid users of both platforms. Additionally, smartphone usage prevails, with 70% accessing OTT services via mobile devices. Despite perceived challenges posed by OTT platforms, a majority envision their dominance in the future of the film industry. Genres such as comedy, drama, and action remain the favorites among cinemagoers, reflecting evolving viewing preferences amidst changing consumption landscapes.


References


Abdullah, N., & Salleh, S. (2019). Latent Factors Affecting Malaysian Film Industry: A Case Study in Selangor and Johor. Asian Journal of Arts, Culture and Tourism, 1(1), 10–17. https://index.pkp.sfu.ca/index.php/record/view/1846217

Austin, A., Barnard, J., Hutcheon, N., & Parry, D. (2016). Media consumption forecasts. In Zenith. https://communicateonline.me/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Media-Consumption-Forecasts-2016.pdf

Austin, B. A. (2013). Film Attendance: Why College Students Chose to See Their Most Recent Film. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 9(1), 43–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/01956051.1981.10661887

Baboori, P. (2022, January 5). Top 10 OTT Platforms in India, Streaming Services in 2022. Indian OnlineSeller.Com. https://indianonlineseller.com/top-10-ott-platforms-in-india/

Banerjee, A., Alleman, J., & Rappoport, P. (2013). Video-Viewing Behavior in the Era of Connected Devices. Digiworld Economic Journal, 92(4), 19–42. http://ssrn.com/abstract=2463719

Brzeski, P. (2022, January 3). China Retains Global Box Office Crown With $7.3B in 2021, Down 26 Percent From 2019 – The Hollywood Reporter. Elisabeth D. Rabishaw; Victoria Gold. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/china-tops-global-box-office-2021-1235069251/

Cai, H., Yu, K., Zhou, Y., & Wu, X. (2022). Co-attention Based Feature Fusion Network for Spam Review Detection on Douban. Neural Processing Letters, 54(6), 5251–5271. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11063-022-10859-W/FIGURES/9

Campbell, R. (2018). A review of contemporary media small form films: the (non-)cinema of mike OTT. Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, 58. https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/ws/files/1020196/Campbell_Non_Cinema_of_Mike_Ott.pdf

Cesar, P., Knoche, H., & Bulterman, D. C. A. (2010). From one to many boxes: Mobile devices as primary and secondary screens. In Mobile TV: Customizing Content and Experience (pp. 327–348). Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-701-1_22

Chatterjee, M., & Pal, S. (2020). Globalization propelled technology often ends up in its micro-localization: Cinema viewing in the time of OTT. Global Media Journal-Indian Edition, 12(1), 22. http://gmj.manipal.edu/issues/june2020/2%20Cinema%20viewing%20in%20the%20time%20of%20OTT.pdf

Cheng, E. (2022, February 8). China’s holiday box office plunges theaters raise movie ticket prices. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/08/chinas-holiday-box-office-plunges-theaters-raise-movie-ticket-prices.html

China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). (2022). The 50th Statistical Report on China’s Internet Development. https://doi.org/https://www.cnnic.com.cn/IDR/

Collier, J. E., & Sherrell, D. L. (2010). Examining the influence of control and convenience in a self-service setting. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 38(4), 490–509. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11747-009-0179-4/TABLES/5

DeMaris, A. (2004). Regression with Social Data: Modeling continuous and limited response variables. John Wiley & Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471677566

Dhiman, N., Singh, A., & Sarmah, R. (2022). How Continuous Intentions Towards Over the Top Platform are Framed? Stimulus–Organism– Response Model Perspective. Vision. https://doi.org/10.1177/09722629221104202

Dikshya Saikia, & Gaurav Nirmal. (2022). Catalyst Role of Covid 19 Pandemic in Increasing Adoption of Over-the-Top (OTT) Platforms- A Study Conducted amongst Gen Z of Guwahati City, Assam. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.12.3.27

Dillman, D. A. (2011). Mail and Internet surveys: The tailored design method--2007 Update with new Internet, visual, and mixed-mode guide. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=6PIVKR4AAAAJ&citation_for_view=6PIVKR4AAAAJ:yB1At4FlUx8C

Dwyer, T., Shim, Y., Lee, H., & Hutchinson, J. (2018). Comparing Digital Media Industries in South Korea and Australia: The Case of Netflix Take-Up. International Journal of Communication, 12, 4553–4572. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/8563/2500

Feng, F., & Sharma, R. S. (2018). Modeling the migration of cultural goods: a macro-economic study of domestic Chinese cinema. China Economic Journal, 11(2), 194–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538963.2018.1449594

Feng, G. C. (2017). The dynamics of the Chinese film industry: factors affecting Chinese audiences’ intentions to see movies. Asia Pacific Business Review, 23(5). https://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2017.1294353

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE.

Gao, T. T., Sultan, F., & Rohm, A. J. (2010). Factors influencing Chinese youth consumers’ acceptance of mobile marketing. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27(7), 574–583. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363761011086326/FULL/PDF

Ghosh, P. (2021). A Study on Universality of Over-The-Top Platforms during Covid-19 Lockdown in Bengaluru. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt / Egyptology, 18(9), 457–469. https://archives.palarch.nl/index.php/jae/article/view/9331/8633

Goodman, D. S. G., & Talmacs, N. (2017). China’s Cinema of Class: Audiences and Narratives. In China’s Cinema of Class: Audiences and Narratives (1st ed.). Taylor and Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315393988

Gupta, A., Verma, M. S., Toteja, R., & Narang, D. (2021). Exploratory Analysis of Factors Influencing User"s Adoption towards OTT Industry. In International Journal of Science, Engineering and Management (IJSEM) (Vol. 6, Issue 5).

Gupta, P. (2021). The factors effecting shift of Indian customers from tv series to web series- the future of OTT services in India. EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (IJMR), 7(2), 143–155. https://www.eprajournals.com/jpanel/upload/1014am_IJMR%20FEB%202021%20FULL%20JOURNAL.pdf#page=150

Hair, J. F., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Black, W. C. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis (8th Edition). Cengage, U.K.

Hassan, D., Abdullah, N., Zainodin, H. J., & Salleh, S. (2016). Determination of Factors that Influenced Film Audiences. Proceeding 7th International Conference on Global Social Entrepreneurship (Kundasang), 66–73. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314086286_Determination_of_Factors_That_Influenced_Film_Audiences#fullTextFileContent

Hayes, D. (2020, August 28). More Than Half Of U.S. Households Now Subscribe To Multiple Streaming Services, Study Finds. Deadline. https://deadline.com/2020/08/more-than-half-of-u-s-households-now-subscribe-to-multiple-streaming-services-study-1203025747/

He, Q., & Hu, B. (2021). Research on the Influencing Factors of Film Consumption and Box Office Forecast in the Digital Era: Based on the Perspective of Machine Learning and Model Integration. In Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (Vol. 2021). https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6094924

Jain, M., Behare, N., & Mahajan, R. (2021). Factors Affecting Buyers’ Choice of OTT Platform in Pune Region. IUP Journal of Marketing Management , 20(4), 16–28. https://search.proquest.com/openview/ef18fdc7013b40ba438e8e2f73803247/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=54464

Jung, H.-Y., Yoo,Ho-Suk, & Han,Jin-Wook. (2021). The impact of engagement in an OTT sport program on advertising effectiveness : Moderating role of need for cognition and involvement. The Korean Society of Sports Science, 30(5), 463–481. https://doi.org/10.35159/KJSS.2021.10.30.5.463

Kelley, K., & Bolin, J. H. H. (2013). Multiple Regression. In Handbook of Quantitative Methods for Educational Research (pp. 71–101). Sense Publishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-404-8_4

Kutner, M. H., Nachtsheim, C., Neter, J., & Li, W. (2004). Applied Linear Statistical Models (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Laricchia, F. (2022). Smartphone users by country 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/748053/worldwide-top-countries-smartphone-users/

Lee, J. H., & Lee, S. U. (2021). Analysis on Determinants of OTT Service Experience and AVOD/SVOD Service Use. Journal of Broadcast Engineering, 26(5), 583–591. https://doi.org/10.5909/JBE.2021.26.5.583

Malewar, S., & Bajaj, S. (2020). Acceptance of OTT video streaming platforms in India during covid -19: Extending UTAUT2 with content availability. Journal of Content, Community & Communication, 12, 89–106. https://doi.org/10.31620/JCCC.12.20/09

Maoyan Entertainment. (2020a). Maoyan: Nearly 90% of China Movie Lovers Are Eager to Return to Cinemas. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maoyan-nearly-90-of-china-movie-lovers-are-eager-to-return-to-cinemas-301069958.html

Maoyan Entertainment. (2020b). Maoyan Survey Finds Portion of China Movie Lovers Eager for Return to Cinemas Rose to 72%. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maoyan-survey-finds-portion-of-china-movie-lovers-eager-for-return-to-cinemas-rose-to-72-301039832.html

Maoyan Entertainment. (2021). Maoyan: China’s Box Office Revenue Surpassed RMB20 Billion in 2020 to Become World’s Largest Movie Market Amid Pandemic. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maoyan-chinas-box-office-revenue-surpassed-rmb20-billion-in-2020-to-become-worlds-largest-movie-market-amid-pandemic-301200097.html

Mariadoss, B. J., Chi, T., Tansuhaj, P., & Pomirleanu, N. (2016). Influences of Firm Orientations on Sustainable Supply Chain Management. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3406–3414. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2016.02.003

Mishra, S. J., Rout, D., Kantha, R. K., & Jha, A. (2021). A case study on perception of people of Bhubaneswar city towards OTT Applications. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR), 8(3), 472–482. https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2103065.pdf

Moochhala, Q. (2018). The Future of Online OTT Entertainment Services in India. Lexipedia. https://actionesque.com/research-papers_pdf/QM-OTT-future-2018.pdf

Mood, C. (2010). Logistic Regression: Why We Cannot Do What We Think We Can Do, and What We Can Do About It. European Sociological Review, 26(1), 67–82. https://doi.org/10.1093/ESR/JCP006

Morens, D. M., & Fauci, A. S. (2020). Emerging Pandemic Diseases: How We Got to COVID-19. Cell, 182(5), 1077–1092. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CELL.2020.08.021

Mulla, T. (2022). Assessing the factors influencing the adoption of over-the-top streaming platforms: A literature review from 2007 to 2021. Telematics and Informatics, 69, 101797. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TELE.2022.101797

Nagaraj, S., Singh, S., & Yasa, V. R. (2021). Factors affecting consumers’ willingness to subscribe to over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services in India. Technology in Society, 65, 101534. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TECHSOC.2021.101534

Navarro, J. G. (2021). Watching movies in the theater vs. via a streaming service U.S. 2018-2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/947757/theaters-streaming-watching-movies/

Neelamegham, R., & Jain, D. (1999). Consumer Choice Process for Experience Goods: An Econometric Model and Analysis. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(3), 373–386. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379903600306

Parikh, N. (2020). The emergence of OTT platforms during the pandemic and its future scope [Navrachana University]. http://27.109.7.66:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/619/Nandani-THE%20EMERGENCE%20OF%20OTT%20PLATFORMS%20DURING%20THE%20PANDEMIC%20AND%20ITS%20FUTURE%20SCOPE%20-%20Bhargav%20pancholi.pdf?sequence=1

Patel, M. K., Khadia, R., & Awasya, G. (2020). A Study: OTT Viewership in “Lockdown” and Viewer’s Dynamic Watching Experience. International Journal on Transformations of Media, Journalism & Mass Communication, 5(2). http://management.eurekajournals.com/index.php/IJTMJMC/article/view/449/513

Prasad, S. S. (2022). Impact of OTT media on the society: insights from path analysis. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 14(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-06-2021-0261/FULL/PDF

PwC China. (2022). PwC China: Mainland China edition: Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2022 2026. https://www.pwccn.com/en/industries/telecommunications-media-and-technology/publications/entertainment-and-media-outlook-2022-2026.html

ReelnReel. (2022, August 22). Impact of 5G Technology on OTT Platforms. https://www.reelnreel.com/impact-of-5g-technology-on-ott-platforms/

Sadana, M., & Sharma, D. (2021). How over-the-top (OTT) platforms engage young consumers over traditional pay television service? An analysis of changing consumer preferences and gamification. Young Consumers, 22(3), 348–367. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-10-2020-1231

Saiprasad, K., & Meenakshi, A. (2022). A study on amazon prime video services in Chennai evaluating consumer preferences over others. International Journal of Health Sciences, 6(S5), 1535. https://doi.org/10.53730/ijhs.v6nS5.8995

Shah, M. H., Yaqoub, M., & Jingwu, Z. (2020). Post-pandemic Impacts of COVID-19 on Film Industry Worldwide and in China. Global Media Journal - Pakistan Edition, 8(02), 28–44. https://aiou.edu.pk/SAB/gmj/GMJ%20Fall%202020/03.pdf

Shah, M. H., Yaqoub, M., & Jingwu, Z. (2021). Post Covid-19 Comparison between Chinese and North American Film Industry: A Systematic Review of the Year 2020 Cinema. Global Strategic & Securities Studies Review, VI(I), 11–19. https://doi.org/10.31703/GSSSR.2021(VI-I).02

Shahzeidi, A. (2021, June 11). OTT (Over-the-Top) Statistics for 2022. US Screen. https://www.uscreen.tv/blog/ott-statistics/

Singh, P. (2019). New Media as a Change Agent of Indian Television and Cinema: A study of over the top Platforms. Community & Communication Amity School of Communication, 9, 2456–9011. https://doi.org/10.31620/JCCC.06.19/18

Slotta, D. (2022a). China: mobile subscriptions by month 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/278204/china-mobile-users-by-month/

Slotta, D. (2022b). China: number of 5G subscribers by telecom operator 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1290115/china-number-of-5g-subscribers-by-telecom-operator/

Sony Varghese, M., & Chinnaiah, S. (2021). Is Ott Industry a Disruption To Movie Theatre Industry? Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 25(2).

Soren, A. A., & Chakraborty, S. (2024). Adoption, satisfaction, trust, and commitment of over-the-top platforms: An integrated approach. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretco nser.2023.103574

Srivastava, G., & Dhananjayan. (2017). Key Factors Affecting Movie Viewing in Theatres by Audience. IUJ Journal of Management, 9(2), 11–15. https://www.keralauniversity.ac.in/pdfs/journals/management_innovator-ISSN-0974-6749.pdf

Statista Research Department. (2022). 5G availability by country 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215456/5g-cities-by-country/

Statista.com. (2020). Watching movies in the theater vs. via a streaming service U.S. 2018-2020.

Sujata, J., Sohag, S., Tanu, D., Chintan, D., Shubham, P., & Sumit, G. (2015). Impact of Over the Top (OTT) Services on Telecom Service Providers. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 8(S4), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2015/v8iS4/62238

Suwarto, D. H. (2012, December 10). Identifying Key Factors Affecting Consumer Decision Making Behavior in Cinema Context: A Mix Method Approach. The 2012 International Conference on Contemporary Business and Management (ICOM2012) .

Tang, J. C., Venolia, G., & Inkpen, K. M. (2016). Meerkat and periscope: I stream, you stream, apps stream for live streams. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings, 4770–4780. https://doi.org/10.1145/2858036.2858374

The Hollywood Reporter. (2021, November 2). Chinese streamer iQiyi looks to expand its footprint globally – The Hollywood Reporter. Elisabeth D. Rabishaw; Victoria Gold. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/chinese-streamer-iqiyi-takes-aim-at-hollywoods-fan-base-1235038996/

Thomala, L. L. (2021). Most used SVOD platforms in China 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1260177/china-most-popular-svod-platforms/

Thomala, L. L. (2022a). China: average movie ticket price 2021. In Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1238058/china-average-movie-ticket-price/

Thomala, L. L. (2022b, May 25). China: weekly box office revenue May 2022. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/254296/weekly-box-office-revenue-in-china/

Thomala, L. L. (2023, January 6). Age Distribution of Cinema Visitors in China from 2019 to 2022. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1061081/china-cinema-audience-age-distribution/

Tomás, J. P. (2022, May 24). China adds 21.15 million 5G subscribers in April. RCR Wireless News. https://www.rcrwireless.com/20220524/5g/china-adds-21-million-5g-subscribers-april

Valecha, P. (2021). Who’s watching the web series in India and why? – a values-based segmentation of the gratifications derived. International Journal of Modern Agriculture, 10(2), 443–452. http://www.modern-journals.com/index.php/ijma/article/view/766/741

Varghese, S., & Chinnaiah, S. (2021). IS OTT INDUSTRY A DISRUPTION TO MOVIE THEATRE INDUSTRY? Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 25(2), 1–12. https://search.proquest.com/openview/0b4fa14f406e7645fc2e1292a0696826/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=38744

Wenjuanxing. (2022, February 19). More than a Questionnaire / Online Exam. Questionnaire Star Platform. https://www.wjx.cn/

Wu, T., Hao, F., & Kim, M. (2021). Typical opinions mining based on Douban film comments in animated movies. Entertainment Computing, 36, 100391. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ENTCOM.2020.100391

Xia, J. (2022). China 5G: Opportunities and Challenges. Telecommunications Policy, 102295. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TELPOL.2021.102295

Yaqoub, M., Jingwu, Z., Xuyao, Z., & Firdous, R. (2022). Future of Video Streaming Platforms and Mainstream Cinema: A Case Study of Fujian Province, China. Journal of Peace, Development and Communication, 6(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.36968/JPDC-V06-I02-01

Yaqoub, M., Khan, M. K., & Tanveer, A. (2022). Digital Disruption: Rising Use of Video Services Among Chinese Netizens. Pakistan Journal of International Affairs (PJIA), 5(1), 34–54.  https://pjia.com.pk/index.ph/pjia/article/view/399/282

Yassin, H. R. M., Chooi, W. Y., Majid, A. Z. A., & Bidin, M. O. (2017). Enhance movie-goers’ cinema experience. Malaysian Journal of Creative Media, Design and Technology, 1(4). https://rekajournal.usm.my/images/Volume_1/paper16E_088-small.pdf

 


Full Text: PDF

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Institute of Communication Studies
University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore - 54590, Pakistan.

E-Mail : ed.jms.ics@gmail.com

Phone No. : 92-42-99231225