Sociodemographic Analysis of TV Genre Preference: The Lebanese Case

Abstract

Media studies have investigated the ability of audience’s sociodemographic variables to predict media preference and selective exposure. Yet the roles that religion and politics play in the Arab media scene has largely been overlooked in the literature, despite the importance of this market. Using stratified random sampling, we surveyed 784 Lebanese viewers who shared their level of interest in watching 8 different TV genres and subgenres. Through logistic regression models, we analyzed eight sociocultural variables and their ability to predict the audience’s genre preference. The findings clearly showed that religion and political affiliation are strong predictors of genre preference in a diverse partisan context. Our exploratory empirical work provides critical contribution to media preference research and genre studies and provides insights to help media producers schedule the best mix of programs anchored in audience analysis.