Impact of Text in News Videos for the Viewing Experience on Smartphones

Abstract: The viewing experience of news videos differ depending on if the device used is a smartphone or a traditional TV, e.g. because some social situations for smartphones not allow audio to be used while watching. Can the adding of subtitles keep the perceived quality at the same level even in these situations? This study investigates the research question how the viewing experience of news videos on smartphones is affected by subtitles and text for young adults. The results are relevant for anyone aiming to improve the viewing experience of videos on smartphones. The study is based on the theory about the concept Quality of Experience, QoE. The method has an experimental approach: 64 participants watched three news videos and after subjective and objective QoE was measured. The conclusion is that subtitles increased every aspect of subjective and objective QoE in a public context when the videos were watched without audio, while they in a home context where audio was present, did not affect any aspect of QoE, except for a decreased willingness to continue watching.