As media convergence got into full swing in accord with the rapid development of information and communication technology, IPTV(Internet Protocol TV) has been drawing attention as a representative medium of convergence. IPTV was introduced into the me...
As media convergence got into full swing in accord with the rapid development of information and communication technology, IPTV(Internet Protocol TV) has been drawing attention as a representative medium of convergence. IPTV was introduced into the media market in Korea on a full scale as pre-IPTV in July 2006, based on the improvement of high-speed Internet Technology, early in 2000. Later, in September 2008 IPTV(IPTV 1.0) got deployed on a commercial scale, and it is predicted that a Wibro-based mobile IPTV(IPTV 2.0) will emerge in 2012.
As seen in the course of development of IPTV, a new media transforms into a more complex shape through continuous evolution, and it adapts itself and gets evaluated within the existing media system. It further searches for co-evolution and co-existence in relation with an even newer media, which leads to a change in the media topography. Just as with the human ecosystem, the media ecosystem needs understanding in a continuous and circular structure. In this vein, IPTV should be understood as an organic body under the media environment of multi-channel merge. The users under this merged environment, unlike the users in the times of the mass media with a few dominant mass media, go in and out of the platforms of various media, which is a unique behavior of participating in the contents simultaneously and non-simultaneously. There should be differences in users' usage, according to how individuals use and assess the IPTV. That is, a form of use can be determined on the basis of perception, i.e. individuals' subjective assessment.
In the discussion on the use of the convergence media, the environmental change of multimedia merge and the characteristic change of users will be essential fields of research. That is to say, the analysis of the convergence media requires an investigation into the users' perception and usage by considering multidimensional factors of use. To this end, the research of this thesis examines the IPTV users' perception and usage, based on the extended Technology Acceptance Model(TAM). The extended TAM, which pays attention to the influence of diverse external variables in addition to the causal relationship of 'belief-attitude-use' in the basic TAM proposed by Davis(1989), has been regarded as a useful model in that it can deal with usage results by virtue of individuals' use perception under the user circumstances of multidimensional media. The variable of user characteristic, suggested in this research as an external factor, is broadly classified into two: a variable of user's individual attribute and a variable of user's environmental influence. The former includes 'innovativeness' and 'self-efficacy,' which have been considered major characteristics of early adopters of information media in the extant diffusion theory; and the latter includes 'social influence,' 'fare influence' and 'commercial influence,' which have been claimed as principal influence factors in the media-related research. The use perception is further investigated in detail, in terms of 'perceived usefulness,' 'perceived ease of use' and 'perceived playfulness'. The relationship of attitude and intention toward using, which are under the influence of the use perception, are also taken into account. Overall, decisive factors are discussed that generally affect the acceptance and adoption of IPTV.
The analysis was made with the 500 users of KT's <QOOK TV> and SK Broadband's <SK Broad&TV>, which hold high market shares of IPTV in Korea, based on the online survey with the questionnaire extracted from the pre-test.
The results consist of six indicators with respect to the use and outcome of IPTV. The first of which is concerned with the user characteristics. A positive influential relationship between the user characteristics and use perception was confirmed, along with the consideration of user's individual attribute and user's environmental influence, as external variables which influence the usage of IPTV. This suggests that the usage of IPTV should be analyzed in allowance for multidimensional factors which are individually and socially formed. It is also worth noting that commercial influence appeared as particularly important since IPTV is a new media and commercials played a significant role in diffusing IPTV.
The second indicator is use perception, which is a crucial measuring variable in that IPTV is a fairly individual-oriented media in comparison with the existing media. This thesis defines 'perceived usefulness,' 'perceived ease of use' and 'perceived playfulness' via depth interview of the pre-test, by way of which detailed factors were presented by developing concrete measuring questionnaire. Perceived usefulness is redefined as 'informativeness' and 'variety'; perceived ease of use as 'use convenience' and 'system efficiency'; and perceived playfulness as simply 'playfulness'. This thesis is distinct from numerous other TAM-based studies in that it overcomes the limitation of other studies which have not systematically analyzed the use perception despite their emphasis on it. The research of this thesis showed the use perception of IPTV in the concrete.
The third concerns the 'perceived ease of use', which indicates the degree of how easily users can have access to information media. 'The perceived ease of use' was found to positively influence 'the perceived usefulness' and 'perceived playfulness'. The direct effect between the perceived ease of use and attitude toward using showed the greatest influence of 'system efficiency' on the attitude, which led to a conclusion that the perceived ease of use is a critical variable in the use of media. This finding suggests that it is an important diffusion strategy to enhance the ease of use of IPTV. That is, a user-friendly interface should be established and attention is needed to education of users.
The fourth is about the relationship between use perception and attitude toward using. In general, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived playfulness were all found to positively influence the attitude toward using. Among others, it is noteworthy that 'playfulness' plays an important role in forming a positive attitude. This shows that IPTV users' ultimate goal of using IPTV is the very desire of entertainment, including relaxation and enjoyment. It means that it is a strategic necessity to develop IPTV as a media that can provide pleasure for everyday life, not just as a service of broadcasting and communications.
The fifth is the emphasis on users' tendency toward 'innovativeness', which was found to be the most influential in the use of IPTV. It has been predicted that promoting IPTV and leading subscription with the innovative group, which affirmatively accepts a new function, should be effective in the positive diffusion of IPTV since IPTV is introduced into market as a new media. Moreover, it is considered an effective method to present various functions of IPTV to this innovative group and obtain its feedback in improving the quality of IPTV service, for the sake of the welfare of IPTV users.
The sixth is the emphasis of 'information quality'. The finding shows that IPTV is perceived as a useful media when the information contents are different from the existing media and more various, which ultimately serves as a definitive factor on the choice of IPTV. It is necessary to create differentiated contents, including Internet-connected service, up-to-date contents and mobile service, which emphasize the unique characteristic of IPTV, in order to compete with the existing media.
Along with the advent of the convergence media, the broadcasting and communications convergence media becomes fully commercialized. The growth of IPTV is highly expected in Korea, in which the network of information and communication is well established, and the empirical discussion in this research with regard to the usage and achievement of IPTV is practically meaningful in that it contributes to devising more realistic plans. In addition, the application of the extended TAM to the media analysis of IPTV, which reflects the environmental change of the convergence media, was successful in drawing a significant outcome. This presents a possibility of applying the extended TAM to later empirical analyses of the digital convergence media, in which lies the theoretical and academical import of this thesis.