An Explorative Study on Constructing Indices for Web Television Viewing

Quantitative method has dominated television audience survey in the past few decades. However, criticism over the method increases in tandem with the unprecedented change of television technology and the rise of multichannel viewing environment. In supplement to the quantitative method, the qualitative approach to audience survey has widely adopted across countries to evaluate viewing behaviors recently. Unfortunately, scholars are still searching for a doable qualitative framework that will fulfill the practical needs of contemporary television producers. To the regard, this study aims at constructing a qualitative index to measure television viewing behaviors in the muti-channel environment. Firstly, this study emphasizes that the main character of Internet users is interactivity. Secondly, this study argues that the use of Internet television should be focus on the concept of intertextuality. Thirdly, this study proposes that the qualitative index of television viewing has to be structured on the interconnection between the user and the content. Fourthly, this study borrows the concept “appreciation” from art as the core of the qualitative index. Lastly, this study will proceed by integrating different empirical methods and data to test the practicality of the qualitative index. In short, this research is not only measure the “appreciation”, but all so measuremen what “appreciation” contains. Hope to provide a more objective measurement method of Internet viewing.