So Many Choices: an Experimental Study of Digital Television Choice, Customization, and Satisfaction

Internet streaming television is increasingly available in society and is changing the way television is viewed by creating more and more choices for consumers. We no longer watch the same three channels on television, now the consumer controls when, where, and what to watch. Producers of this digital media landscape provide customization mechanisms that consumers also engage in, creating tailored presentations of content. This study seeks to understand what the large landscape of choice does to our satisfaction in viewing choice and what part customization plays in that satisfaction through an experimental-survey design. Drawing from choice literature which points in the direction of satisfaction being lowered when consumers are faced with too many choices, and customization literature from marketing research and business studies, the researchers test 2 hypotheses relating to high choice and low choice groups and customized and non-customized groups and participants subsequent satisfaction. Findings suggest that participants in a high choice and customized environment are more satisfied with their viewing choice, which contradicts much of the choice literature. When it comes to digital media consumers want many choices