From “viewing” to “participation”: a study on the mechanisms underlying consumption behavior among sports streaming audiences

Abstract

Background Driven by both the strategy to build a sports powerhouse and the development of digital technology, China's sports broadcasting market has shown rapid growth. However, academic research has yet to systematically explore the underlying psychological mechanisms associated with the transition from “viewing” behavior to “participatory” consumption. Objective Drawing on a management psychology perspective, this study aims to construct and test a sequential mediation model to examine the associations among Motivation for Watching Sports Events, emotional responses, psychological belonging, and consumption behavior. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among a sample of 563 Chinese viewers with experience watching live sports broadcasting. Established scales were used to measure Motivation for Watching Sports Events, positive emotional responses, psychological belonging, and consumption behavior. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and AMOS 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) software, and sequential mediation effects were examined using PROCESS macro Model 6 and the Bootstrap method. Results The study found that: (1) motivation for Watching Sports Events was positively associated with consumption behavior (β = 0.575, p < 0.001) and showed indirect associations with consumption behavior through the mediating roles of emotional responses and psychological belonging, with mediation effect sizes of 0.114 and 0.088, respectively; (2) emotional responses and psychological belonging showed a significant sequential mediating effect in the association between viewing motivation and consumption behavior (effect size = 0.032). Specifically, viewing motivation was associated with positive emotional responses, which were further associated with psychological belonging and consumption behavior. Conclusion This study supported the proposed “cognitive-emotional-identity-behavior” sequential mediation model and examined the psychological mechanisms underlying the association between “viewing” and “consumption.” The findings enrich the theoretical understanding of sports consumption behavior and provide practical insights for stakeholders in the sports industry regarding strategies to enhance viewers' emotional experiences and strengthen community belonging.