Lee & Lee (1995) How and why people watch TV

used focus groups to collect data on the uses and gratifications of tv viewing
-aim is to provide a realistic foundation for imagining the future application of interactive television

10 - 1,782 viewers in a survey

10 - failures of previous interactive services - video text, picture phone, no assessments of consumers needs & preferences were done or ignored

Findings:
11 - four levels of viewing: (people aren't always intently watching)
Level 1: solely focused on television
Level 2: One of 2 activities going on: attention is divided
Level 3: TV as peripheral activity: awareness
Level 4: TV as background noise

Only 55 percent of viewers in the study were watching at a level 1 or 2.
12 - Suggest ratings should be "in the room with the set on" (Clancy 1994)


12 - TV viewing is social - interactive TV is individual - therefore, tension exists when more than one person wants to watch television together

12-13 - gratifications of viewing: company, parasocial interaction: "friends", mood elevation: relaxation, "social grease" - being able to communicate with others about TV

16 - predict that convergence with PC unlikely
-TV viewing requires a distance and is a social activity than compared to the singular-use computer
-ITV is more likely to involve an advanced version of the remote control
doubtful that ITV will swallow up the PC

ITV needs to take the uses & gratifications of viewers under consideration when designing an ITV system, as well as understand the viewing/use patterns associated with technology.