Why you cannot write off TV yet

Why you cannot write off TV yet

FPJ BureauUpdated: Wednesday, May 29, 2019, 01:22 AM IST
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Some say it is on its way out given the soaring popularity of OTT platforms but whether you call it the idiot box or the small screen, as of now there is no ignoring television in India. Last year, despite increased competition from video streaming platforms, it was seen that total television viewership in the country went up by 12% from 2016. The number of TV homes also grew by 7.5% from 2016. These findings of the Broadcast India 2018 Survey conducted by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India prove that TV is definitely alive and kicking in India.

Early days
Harking back to the early days, television in its nascent stage consisted of only Doordarshan and then during the Asian Games, colour TV made its advent in India. Shows like ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Hum Log’, ‘Discovery of India’, etc. achieved enormous success. A few years later, Subhash Chandra Goyal of the Essel Group started his first entertainment channel and the country’s first entertainment channel — Zee TV which provided a good entertainment package with its popular shows like ‘Tara’, ‘Hum Paanch’ and ‘Filmi Chakkar’. The flood of channels followed including Star TV, Sony TV, Sab TV, Colors, and their other offshoot channels like ETV, Marathi, and other regional channels. Niche entertainment channels like Discovery, History TV, Animal Planet, Food Food TV, lifestyle channels, news and sports channels poured in.

Changes apparent
Television is said to have changed a great deal over the years. We spoke to a cross-section of television personalities about this trend. Neeraj Vyas, Senior Executive Vice President and Business Head, Hindi films and music cluster, Sony TV, says, “I feel that the growth of television has increased immensely and there are more than 500 channels catering to the entertainment of the viewers. It has reached the interiors and hinterland of the country where TV and cable television are making their presence felt. But among these cluster of channels, only the channels with good content will survive. I do feel that the content has regressed a bit — but that is what the viewers want. The TRPs depend on such kind of shows and shows like ‘Naagin’ are popular. There is also a demand for family-oriented saas-bahu serials which will never go out of fashion. The reality shows too will enjoy a piece of the cake. Today it all depends on TRPs and the hinterland is the deciding factor of these TRPs and BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council India). It is to attract them that the shows are being made.”

Content deterioration
Sukesh Motwani, TV producer, Bodhi Tree MultiMedia Pvt Ltd feels that television changes in cycles. He opines, “Television and specially GECs (General Entertainment Channels) now cater to the new India viewership which is large in the interiors and more than the pan-India audience. They like watching family based shows and it is the womenfolk who are the deciding factor. They control the remote and decide what to watch and what not to. Earlier the women would accompany their men to watch films but now, sitting in their houses, they can decide the TRPs and BARC of the shows. Hence, the channels also make shows catering to such viewership which demands a lot of drama. Even the political news channels have a lot of drama. I don’t think that television content is regressive at all but their target audience and demographics demand the kind of content they have Monday to Friday.”

Motwani also agrees that the scenario is changing. “Today the city audience is open to foreign channels and streaming platforms like Amazon and Netflix. These too will be a huge component in the future.”

Killing stress
TV actor and anchor Sushant Singh, despite being a well-recognised face on television himself, admits that he is not too familiar with the whole TV scenario any more.

“I am not very aware of today’s television scene as I am an old school person and loved the old shows like Ek Kahani, Hum Log and Buniyaad. I am surprised that shows like Naagin and comedy show like ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmaah’ are very popular with the audiences,” he declares.

Honorary Secretary of CINTAA (Cine & Television Artistes’ Association), he has legitimate concerns about the functioning of the industry per se. He shares, “Now there is a great deal of stress on actors and technicians as they need to can Monday to Friday episodes in a short span of time. Many workers and actors have even paid with their lives for this stress. Something seriously should be done to streamline this scenario. We are in talks with the State Government and Central Government for this issue. I hope all those concerned change their work-style and let this TV industry rise to its former heights.”

With the popularity of the small screen not in any apparent danger from the even smaller screens (mobile phones and other devices) as of now, one can only hope for an improvement in audience taste and thus content quality.

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