Framing of the research. Performing arts organisations have been particularly struck by the Covid-19 pandemic, which induced an almost complete stop to live productions. Within a crisis that has affected both supply and demand in most industries, performing arts have seen dramatic difficulties affecting the entire production chain in a longer and more pervasive way than many other sectors. This context, and especially the lockdown periods, have shown an exponential development in the offer of TV or online cultural content. Most cultural organisations have started broadcasting recorded performances to give continuity to their activities and keep in touch with their audiences, using the available technologies, and to provide a service for the community. This choice can be interpreted in light of the “mediatisation” paradigm, which posits questions on the persistence or not of previous forms of inequality in the access to the cultural offer or if such inequality assumes new forms. The Coccia Theatre (Novara, Italy), after having been among the very first adopters of this approach, has subsequently developed a strategy of product innovation, aimed a tailoring its productions for digital tools, based on the creation of new artistic languages. Purpose of the paper. This work relies on data collected by means of an online questionnaire circulated among the public of the Coccia Theatre immediately after the first lockdown in 2020. The aim of the study is to investigate the choice of the respondents to watch (or not) theatrical performances broadcast on TV or online during the lockdown period. Methodology. We adopt a multinomial logit model to explain the (unordered discrete) choice of watching (or not) theatrical performances on TV, online or mixing the two channels during the lockdown period. Results. The findings show that broadcast performances have been watched more by people who were already frequent attenders of live shows. We can, thus, infer a limited impact in terms of involving new audience segments. Moreover, the amount of leisure time available during the lockdown did not play a role in driving the choice. Additional findings involve the role of age, genre preferences, company preferences and the attitude towards culture and other virtual cultural events. Research limitations. The main limitation of the study is related to the sample composition. Although the number of respondents is considerable, the sample is composed only of respondents who could be reached online. This fact limits the representativeness of the sample, but allows excluding from the analysis the attenders for whom the online content did not represent an accessible option. Managerial implications. The possibility of broadcasting content is indeed a valuable option. In order to create value in the long term for the existing audience and to reach new segments of potential demand, however, the product offered through remote channels cannot be the same as that performed “live”. The range of opportunities related to the exploitation of digital (but also TV) channels must rely on profound product innovation. Originality of the paper. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work studying the drivers of the relationship of the Italian public with remotely accessible theatrical performances during the Covid-19 emergency, accounting for the role of different channels.

When does live art stick you to the screen? Evidence from audience’s behavior towards broadcasted contents during the first lockdown

Clementina Bruno;Fabrizio Erbetta;Giovanni Fraquelli
2023-01-01

Abstract

Framing of the research. Performing arts organisations have been particularly struck by the Covid-19 pandemic, which induced an almost complete stop to live productions. Within a crisis that has affected both supply and demand in most industries, performing arts have seen dramatic difficulties affecting the entire production chain in a longer and more pervasive way than many other sectors. This context, and especially the lockdown periods, have shown an exponential development in the offer of TV or online cultural content. Most cultural organisations have started broadcasting recorded performances to give continuity to their activities and keep in touch with their audiences, using the available technologies, and to provide a service for the community. This choice can be interpreted in light of the “mediatisation” paradigm, which posits questions on the persistence or not of previous forms of inequality in the access to the cultural offer or if such inequality assumes new forms. The Coccia Theatre (Novara, Italy), after having been among the very first adopters of this approach, has subsequently developed a strategy of product innovation, aimed a tailoring its productions for digital tools, based on the creation of new artistic languages. Purpose of the paper. This work relies on data collected by means of an online questionnaire circulated among the public of the Coccia Theatre immediately after the first lockdown in 2020. The aim of the study is to investigate the choice of the respondents to watch (or not) theatrical performances broadcast on TV or online during the lockdown period. Methodology. We adopt a multinomial logit model to explain the (unordered discrete) choice of watching (or not) theatrical performances on TV, online or mixing the two channels during the lockdown period. Results. The findings show that broadcast performances have been watched more by people who were already frequent attenders of live shows. We can, thus, infer a limited impact in terms of involving new audience segments. Moreover, the amount of leisure time available during the lockdown did not play a role in driving the choice. Additional findings involve the role of age, genre preferences, company preferences and the attitude towards culture and other virtual cultural events. Research limitations. The main limitation of the study is related to the sample composition. Although the number of respondents is considerable, the sample is composed only of respondents who could be reached online. This fact limits the representativeness of the sample, but allows excluding from the analysis the attenders for whom the online content did not represent an accessible option. Managerial implications. The possibility of broadcasting content is indeed a valuable option. In order to create value in the long term for the existing audience and to reach new segments of potential demand, however, the product offered through remote channels cannot be the same as that performed “live”. The range of opportunities related to the exploitation of digital (but also TV) channels must rely on profound product innovation. Originality of the paper. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work studying the drivers of the relationship of the Italian public with remotely accessible theatrical performances during the Covid-19 emergency, accounting for the role of different channels.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11579/169363
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