1996 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Reexamination of the Concept of Mass Audience : With an emphasis on the advancement in media technology
| Project/Area Number |
07610164
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
社会学(含社会福祉関係)
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| Research Institution | University of Tsukuba |
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Principal Investigator |
TAKESHITA Toshio University of Tsukuba, Institute of Modern Languages & Cultures, Associate Professor, 現代語・現代文化学系, 助教授 (20163397)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1996
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| Keywords | audience research / mass media / new media / cable TV / multiplication of channels / TV viewing / information technology |
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| Research Abstract |
(1) The advancement of media technology is bringing about the multiplication of TV channel, that is, the growing number of available TV channels. The influences of the multiplication of channels upon viewing behavior are assumed to be (a) segmentation of the mass audience, and (b) enhanced involvement with the contents.
(2) To examine viewing behavior in the multi-channel context empirically, the questionnaire was administered to the random sample of the subscribers of the cable system with a total of 27 video channels, located in a suburban city, sakura, Chiba.
(3) The average channel repertory (the number of channels watched more than one day a week) is 7.1 with repertory of the terrestrial channels 5.3. This and other related findings suggested that, at least for the time being, audience segmentation was unlikely to happen, though we must be careful of a hasty generalization.
(4) The respondents were apt to see both the news channels and the movie channels as providing flexible opportunities to enjoy the services whenever they wish to do so, than the traditional terrestrial channels do. It seems that watching specialized cable channels are more of instrumental nature, and thus with a higher level of ego-involvement.
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