Apart from good food and more than adequate sleep, staying at home (home town) increases my television viewer ship which otherwise remains restricted to cricket matches. I thought it would be worth while to share some interesting observations, especially for those who have given up on the idiot box.
The ‘breaking news’ is that most of the ‘saas-bahu’ soap operas have gone off the air. The new fad is the soaps focusing on child marriage and female infanticide in rural India. I must say that this is a tremendously pleasant and pleasantly tremendous turnaround. From provoking inane and baseless drama in Indian families, soaps have graduated to delivering a meaningful message to the society. With these social issues becoming critical in few Indian states (Rajasthan, Haryana), the soaps are doing a marvelous job in communicating the right messages to Indian masses. Their set up, culture and characters are adapted to the states where these problems have become a very critical social issue.
The second in line are the reality shows. The term reality shows has acquired a negative connotation. So I must clarify that here I am referring to talent reality shows and not Roadies and Big Boss types. Without having to invest in tv stars and expensive shootings, these reality shows are definitely high margin products for the producers. But keeping financial considerations aside for a moment, I think they are doing a very effective job in showcasing tremendous and diverse talent that exists in a country as huge as ours. This coupled with the fact that stand up comedy shows add humor and laughter to lives of millions of families every day has made the idiot box acquire fair bit of smartness and respect, at least for the moment.
Television for years would continue to be the biggest source of entertainment in India, particularly in non-metro towns. My first hand observation would put average viewer ship at 3 hours per day. This is partially contributed by the fact that other forms of entertainment such as adventure sports, amusement parks, museums and theatre is completely non existent in Indian towns and cities (barring metros). One does not need more facts to estimate the potential of the social impact that a responsible television holds. Internet has taken up the world by storm, but majority of India continues to be captivated by the idiot box.
The ‘breaking news’ is that most of the ‘saas-bahu’ soap operas have gone off the air. The new fad is the soaps focusing on child marriage and female infanticide in rural India. I must say that this is a tremendously pleasant and pleasantly tremendous turnaround. From provoking inane and baseless drama in Indian families, soaps have graduated to delivering a meaningful message to the society. With these social issues becoming critical in few Indian states (Rajasthan, Haryana), the soaps are doing a marvelous job in communicating the right messages to Indian masses. Their set up, culture and characters are adapted to the states where these problems have become a very critical social issue.
The second in line are the reality shows. The term reality shows has acquired a negative connotation. So I must clarify that here I am referring to talent reality shows and not Roadies and Big Boss types. Without having to invest in tv stars and expensive shootings, these reality shows are definitely high margin products for the producers. But keeping financial considerations aside for a moment, I think they are doing a very effective job in showcasing tremendous and diverse talent that exists in a country as huge as ours. This coupled with the fact that stand up comedy shows add humor and laughter to lives of millions of families every day has made the idiot box acquire fair bit of smartness and respect, at least for the moment.
Television for years would continue to be the biggest source of entertainment in India, particularly in non-metro towns. My first hand observation would put average viewer ship at 3 hours per day. This is partially contributed by the fact that other forms of entertainment such as adventure sports, amusement parks, museums and theatre is completely non existent in Indian towns and cities (barring metros). One does not need more facts to estimate the potential of the social impact that a responsible television holds. Internet has taken up the world by storm, but majority of India continues to be captivated by the idiot box.
From marketer’s point of view, it is an option that should be carefully exercised. Multiple national channels, overlapping concepts and regional channels pose a severe challenge of choosing a right mix. Further, the deeper you get into heartland, more the skepticism towards advertising pervades among the audience.
Before I conclude, I must reserve my appreciation for the entertainment channels only. As far as news channels are concerned, the turnaround is from bad to worse. The latest example is IBN7 covering for full half an hour the developments in the previous episode of one of the soap operas. And those who have not yet tasted the creative juices of India TV: D, I would recommend searching youtube and experiencing the unique blend of awe, humor and disgust in person.
While the power of television may be hard to grasp for those who live and breathe on the internet (including me), it may take at least another generation before any other medium can even come close to surpass it.
Before I conclude, I must reserve my appreciation for the entertainment channels only. As far as news channels are concerned, the turnaround is from bad to worse. The latest example is IBN7 covering for full half an hour the developments in the previous episode of one of the soap operas. And those who have not yet tasted the creative juices of India TV: D, I would recommend searching youtube and experiencing the unique blend of awe, humor and disgust in person.
While the power of television may be hard to grasp for those who live and breathe on the internet (including me), it may take at least another generation before any other medium can even come close to surpass it.
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