The effect of content credibility on consumer-based brand equity: the case of Indian television channels

With the entry of foreign direct investment (FDI) the media industry has proliferated and multiple brands now vie for eyeballs in the television industry. Consequently content of the channels is no longer directed by fourth estate prerogatives. This is reflected in the proclivity of the news channels in resorting to sensationalism and constant 'breaking news'. Thus the purpose of this article is to explore the influence of credible content and packaging on consumer-based brand equity of television channels. Here credibility measures have been taken from journalism content credibility constructs, on the other hand, Aaker's (1991) dimensions of CBBE have been used to measure the brand equity construct. The study reveals that content credibility only explains 47% of the variance in brand equity. However, there are strong correlations between the constructs.