Preferences for Chinese TV Dramas and Purchase Intentions of Southeast Asian Audiences.

TV dramas are an important medium for Southeast Asians to understand Chinese culture. Fashion dramas, however, are less innovative and competitive than costume dramas in terms of theme innovation. In order to grasp the audience’s perceived preference and consumption willingness for Chinese TV dramas, this study conducted empirical research by recruiting 60 subjects from Thailand and Malaysia. The research is divided into two parts. Firstly, the perceptual preference design related to the plot (preference, viewing intention) and non-plot (dialogue speed, total duration of the drama) is learnt through the audiences' country, the plot era background and the content level of Chinese cultural elements. Next, the purchase intention of Chinese products (consumption, finance, science and technology) under different stimulus conditions is sorted out by the audiences' country, video viewing order, and video viewing quantity. The research results will put forward specific TV series design suggestions based on the background of the plot era, the content level of Chinese cultural elements, the order of video viewing (costume before fashion/fashion before costume), the number of video views (8/16 films) and the audiences' country, so as to enhance the cultural soft power and international influence of cross-cultural communication of TV dramas.