How We Watch TV Tomorrow? Viewers' Perception Towards Interactivity on Smart TV

Smart TV is so called largely due to its interactivity. Without the interactivity functions, smart TV can hardly provide new services beyond traditional TV. This research studies 283 viewers' perceptions toward four key interactivity functions of smart TV: the interaction between viewers and TV, between viewers and friends, between viewers and programming, and viewers' interaction with products. The findings show that the viewer's residence was a significant moderator in the preference for the interactivity functions. Viewers from developed regions liked the four functions better than those in underdeveloped regions. Social media habits and ICT power usage are positively associated with the preference, while need for cognition, age and gender had little effect. The findings can help understand the evolving viewing habits in the social media era, whose theoretical and practical implications should benefit TV makers and content producers to provide an interactive TV viewing experience.