INFLUENCE OF HOME VIDEO FILMS ON VIEWERSHIP OF TELEVISION PROGRAMMES BY RESIDENTS’ OF UYO METROPOLIS

The focus of this study was to investigate the influence of home video films on viewership of television programmes in Uyo Urban. Is it true that home videos films have exerted any influence on television programme viewers? This study would serve as reference guide to other researchers for further studies; as a programming handbook to consider what particular programme with what particular appeal to broadcast in order to attract audience members to their stations.and also guide home video producers to consider what elements and features to inject into their movies to educate, inform, etc. their viewers apart from entertaining them only. Also, the findings of this study shall serve as viewing guide to viewers of home videos and television programmes to appreciate the functions of both media platform by selectively exposing themselves to any of the media platform depending on their expected gratification. This work was anchored on the following theories: The uses and gratification theory propounded by Katz in 1970, is concerned with how people use media for gratification of their needs and Media Dependency Theory that was developed by Ball-Rokeach and DeFluer In 1950, the key idea behind this theory is that audiences depend on media information to meet needs and reach goals, and social institutions and media systems interact with audiences to create needs, interests, and motives in the person.Using the Philip Meyer's (1979) guide, (which purported that when a population is between the range of one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand, a sample of 383 should be taken as representative sample of the population) a total of 383 respondents chosen from 383 houses in Uyo Metropolis formed the sample size was arrived at using purposive and multi-stage cluster sampling procedures in the most populated axis in Uyo Metropolis. A set of questionnaire containing 18 questions (both open and close-ended questions)Simple percentages and tables were used in analyzing the data for this study. On the periphery, it was revealed that as residents of Uyo Urban selectively exposed themselves to Nigerian Home video films against television programmes on a daily basis; it thus affects their viewing habit, interest and choice for television programme viewing. From the findings, the following recommendations were made: Operators of television stations and programme producers should make their programmes captivating and attention-catching. (ii) To encourage viewership of television programmes, television station managers, programme