What Makes Us Click 'Play'? An Empirical Analysis of Content-related Success Factors for Streaming Service Adoption in Germany

Faced with intense competition in the video-on-demand (VoD) market, providers are under increasing pressure to understand the determinants of user acceptance to justify significant investments in content and infrastructure. Based on the stimulus-organism response (S-O-R) model, this study examines the influence of specific content-related characteristics on consumers' intention to use VoD services. The conceptual model was empirically validated using data from a quantitative online survey of German consumers (n = 200). The results reveal that the intention to use is massively driven by perceived content value. Specifically, content quality and platform design emerged as significant antecedents of content value, whereas content variety showed no significant impact, suggesting a shift in user preference from quantity to relevance. The paper concludes by deriving actionable managerial implications for VoD providers as well as recommendations for future research in digital service adoption.