Investigation of continuance stream-watching intention: an empirical study

Xiaoyun Jia (), Ruili Wang (), Yaobin Lu (), James H. Liu () and Zhao Pan ()
Additional contact information
Xiaoyun Jia: Shandong University
Ruili Wang: Massey University
Yaobin Lu: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
James H. Liu: Massey University
Zhao Pan: Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Information Technology and Management, 2025, vol. 26, issue 4, No 6, 547-558

Abstract: Abstract With the popularity of live streaming, viewers have been found to spend an increasing number of hours on stream-watching in a continuous manner. Why users choose to watch streams for the first time has been well explored. However, continuance stream-watching phenomenon has not been investigated enough. Given the importance of accumulating loyal user base for all live streaming platforms, accumulating users can be equally important to attracting new users. However, understanding in the continuance behavior seems to receive limited investigation in the live streaming context. This study introduced expectation–confirmation theory (ECT) to explain how continuance stream-watching behavior is cultivated. Before, ECT has been extensively applied to explain continuance intention. However, most ECT-based models are not adequate to predict continuance watching intention in the digital context since they only emphasize on users’ perceived benefits and costs of watching but neglect the influence of uses’ sunk costs. Therefore, this paper proposes a new research model in which perceived benefits, perceived sacrifices and perceived sunk costs are included. Our proposed model was empirically validated by an online survey (N = 438). It provides theoretical evidence of antecedents of viewers’ continuance watching intention. This paper advances our understanding in continuance behavior in live streaming. It discusses practical implications and provides strategies to live streaming platforms as well as streamers.

Keywords: Continuance intention of watching; Behavioral intention; Live streaming; ECT; Post-adoption behavior; Watching behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10799-024-00427-0 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:infotm:v:26:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s10799-024-00427-0

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/10799

DOI: 10.1007/s10799-024-00427-0

Access Statistics for this article

Information Technology and Management is currently edited by Raymond Patterson and Erik Rolland

More articles in Information Technology and Management from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().