Characteristics of Buyers and Renters of Cultural Goods: The Case of Movies

Abstract

This paper identifies the characteristics of consumers of movies, watched on videotapes, in their homes. Models of the frequency of movie video buying and renting by individuals are estimated using data from the Spanish Cultural Consumption Habits Survey (Encuesta sobre Hábitos de Consumo Cultural). This survey featured information about videotapes rented and bought in Spain throughout 1998. Applying a multinomial probit modelling framework, this study analyzes whether there are two different video markets (renting and buying) and any discernible socio-economic characteristics for their respective consumers. The influence of film genres, on the renting of movie videotapes is also considered.