Manuscript Title:

DIGITAL BROADCASTING PLATFORM ATTRIBUTES AND AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF OTT USERS

Author:

WALAA MOHAMED EL TAHER ABDEL KHALEQ NASSAR, YASSER A. AMMAR, IYAD A. AL-NSOUR

DOI Number:

DOI:10.5281/zenodo.20120050

Published : 2026-04-23

About the author(s)

1. WALAA MOHAMED EL TAHER ABDEL KHALEQ NASSAR - Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), College of Media & Communication, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2. YASSER A. AMMAR - Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), College of Media & Communication, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
3. IYAD A. AL-NSOUR - Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), College of Media & Communication, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Full Text : PDF

Abstract

This study examines the impact of digital broadcasting platform attributes on audience engagement among Over-The-Top (OTT) users in Saudi Arabia. The study focuses on four key platform attributes: content diversity, on-demand convenience, interactivity, and personalized viewing experience, and investigates their influence on audience engagement in digital broadcasting environments. A quantitative crosssectional research design was adopted, and data were collected through an online questionnaire distributed to OTT users in Saudi Arabia. A total of 462 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that attributes of digital broadcasting platforms have a significant positive effect on audience engagement. Among the examined dimensions, personalized viewing experience emerged as the strongest predictor of audience engagement, followed by content diversity, interactivity, and on-demand convenience. The results indicate that audience engagement in digital environments is increasingly shaped by personalized and experience-driven factors rather than by content availability alone. The study also demonstrates satisfactory predictive relevance, confirming the model’s ability to explain and predict audience engagement behavior among OTT users. The study contributes to the growing literature on digital media consumption by providing empirical evidence from the Saudi Arabian context, which remains underexplored in existing digital media and audience engagement research. Furthermore, the study adopts a parsimonious analytical model that emphasizes direct relationships between platform attributes and audience engagement without relying on complex mediating mechanisms. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for digital broadcasting platforms and media organizations seeking to enhance user engagement through personalization strategies, content diversification, and interactive platform features in increasingly competitive digital media environments.


Keywords

Digital Broadcasting; Audience Engagement; OTT Platforms; Personalized Viewing Experience; Interactivity; Content Diversity.