| Abstract: | The purpose of this article is to study how WebTV channel additions influence the following relationship dimensions between a broadcasting company and its consumers: brand knowledge, brand satisfaction, direct relationship investments, and indirect relationship investments. A survey of broadcast consumers indicated positive effects of WebTV channel additions on all 4 brand relationship dimensions. The findings also indicate that brand satisfaction, direct relationship investments, and indirect relationship investments mediate the effect of WebTV channel additions on customers' use of the broadcaster's main channel. The implication of the results is that WebTV channel additions have the potential to strengthen consumer-brand relationships and that WebTV channel additions seem to complement rather than substitute a broadcast company's main channel. Based on the results, WebTV channel additions are recommended as a channel strategy for broadcasting companies. Similar studies in other industries and settings are suggested before the results can be generalized more broadly. |
