Antecedents for customer satisfaction and willingness to subscribe over-the-top services post the pandemic in India

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of customer engagement, facilitating conditions, social influence and content availability on the customer satisfaction and willingness to pay for the over-the-top platforms. It also investigates the moderating effect of habit on the customer satisfaction and willingness to pay of the customers. Design/methodology/approach The study collected data from 200 respondents representing students, employees, household members, and selfemployed professionals across Tamil Nadu, India. Structural equation modelling was performed to validate the research model. Findings The findings demonstrated that there is substantial evidence for the relationship between customer engagement, facilitating conditions, social influence and content availability on the customer satisfaction and willingness to pay. The study finds that the habit of the consumers did not mediate the willingness to pay. Practical implications The results of the study will help the decision makers and over-the-top (OTT) service providers in comprehending and devising different strategies for customers of different age and experience. The marketing plan for the prospective OTT subscribers can be framed while targeting the segment of customers in terms of male and female, young and middle-aged customers, loyal and new customers. The consumer behaviour can also vary according to the product-focused or service-focused OTT providers, but the disparity is hard to analyse in the Indian context. Originality/value This study extends on the existing literature by understanding the determinants that influence the customer satisfaction and willingness to pay for watching over-the-top platforms.