Purpose

This study aimed to understand better what makes esports fans engage with streamers' live-streaming of esports gameplay. This study used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and additionally adopted streamer identification and esports game identification as moderating variables.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from streamers' esports content streaming viewers over 18 years of age using an online survey in Amazon M-Turk (N = 307). Based on past esports live-streaming weekly watching hours, which range from 1 to 45 h, the participants were divided into lower (n = 152) and higher (n = 155) frequency groups. PLS-SEM and bootstrapping techniques were used to test the moderated mediation relationships among the constructs.

Findings

This study found a negative moderating effect of past watching experience on the relationship between attitudes and behavioral intention, and it positively moderated the path between perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention. Also, it was found statistically significant direct impacts of streamer identification (STI) and esports game identification (EGI) on attitude and subjective norms. While the indirect impact of STI on behavioral intention through attitude was statistically significant, there were no significant indirect impacts of EGI on attitude and behavioral intention through subjective norms.

Originality/value

Theoretically, this study extends the TPB model by exploring the two identifications (i.e. streamers and esports games) as antecedents of the focal TPB factors (i.e. attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control) and the moderating effect of prior experience based on high/low weekly watching frequencies. Practically, content creators of esports live-streaming and live-streaming platform managers can use the study’s findings to develop strategies to nurture their current and future viewership.

中文翻译：

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是什么让电竞消费者观看主播的电竞直播内容？扩展计划行为理论

目的

这项研究旨在更好地了解电子竞技粉丝参与主播直播电子竞技游戏的原因。本研究使用计划行为理论（TPB），并另外采用主播识别和电子竞技游戏识别作为调节变量。

设计/方法论/途径

数据是通过 Amazon M-Turk 中的在线调查从 18 岁以上主播的电子竞技内容流媒体观众中收集的（N  = 307）。根据过去每周观看电子竞技直播的时间（从 1 小时到 45 小时不等），参与者被分为频率较低的组 ( n  = 152) 和频率较高的组 ( n  = 155)。PLS-SEM 和 bootstrapping 技术用于测试构建之间的调节中介关系。

发现

这项研究发现，过去的观看经历对态度和行为意图之间的关系有负向调节作用，并且它对感知行为控制和行为意图之间的路径有正向调节作用。此外，还发现主播识别（STI）和电子竞技游戏识别（EGI）对态度和主观规范具有统计显着的直接影响。虽然STI通过态度对行为意向的间接影响具有统计显着性，但EGI通过主观规范对态度和行为意向没有显着的间接影响。

原创性/价值

理论上，本研究通过探索两种识别（即主播和电子竞技游戏）作为焦点 TPB 因素（即态度、主观规范和感知行为控制）的前因以及基于高/低的先前经验的调节作用，扩展了 TPB 模型。每周观看频率。实际上，电子竞技直播的内容创作者和直播平台管理者可以利用该研究的结果来制定策略，以培养他们当前和未来的收视率。