Cable News Wars on the Internet: Competition and User-Generated Content

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Sabnis, Gaurav; Grewal, Rajdeep
• 署名单位: Stevens Institute of Technology; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
• 刊物名称: INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1047-7047
• DOI: 10.1287/isre.2015.0579
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 301-319
• 关键词: word-of-mouth; chain monte-carlo; instrumental variables; MODEL; product; identification; sales; attention; DYNAMICS; PROGRAMS

摘要

Academics and practitioners alike recognize that user-generated content (UGC), such as blog posts, help not only predict but also boost performance (e.g., sales). However, the role of competition in the UGC domain is not well understood. Building on extant research pertaining to the UGC-performance relationship, the authors document empirical evidence for a relationship between competitor UGC and focal firm performance. Data from a 30-week period describe the viewership of competing cable news shows on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC during the 7:00 P.M.-9:00 P.M. time slots. They find evidence of a statistically significant relationship between competitor UGC and viewership and of heterogeneity in the direction of these competitive relationships, positive in some time slots and negative in others. The predictive power of UGC for viewership is enhanced by 3% to 5% simply by incorporating competitors' UGC, in addition to a show's own UGC. Thus, the study, as well as formulation of UGC-related marketing strategies, should incorporate competitive relationships.