Short video excerpts from TV shows are a tool that producers/broadcasters use to promote their programs. This study examines how video highlights that are presented online for free viewing, which can be analogous to product samples for entertainment goods, affect TV audience ratings. We investigate whether a displacement effect exists, i.e., the substitution of goods due to the availability of other similar goods. We find that positive viewer response, measured by the number of likes and views generated for the highlights, positively affects ratings, and the square of the number of likes negatively affects ratings. Our findings suggest that if viewers are overly satisfied with the highlights, some may be satisfied with merely viewing them and refrain from watching the actual show; such a response may potentially decrease TV viewership. This is the first study to examine the role of online video highlights as a promotional tool for TV shows.

电视节目的简短视频摘录是制作人/广播公司用来宣传其节目的工具。这项研究研究了在线呈现以供免费观看的视频精彩片段如何类似于娱乐产品的产品样本如何影响电视收视率。我们调查是否存在替代效应，即由于其他类似商品的可用性而导致的商品替换。我们发现，观看者的积极反应（通过对亮点生成的喜欢和观看次数进行衡量）会对收视率产生积极影响，而喜欢数的平方会负面影响收视率。我们的发现表明，如果观众对亮点过于满意，则有些观众可能只看这些亮点就满意了，而不必观看实际的表演。这样的响应可能会降低电视收视率。