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Journalism of Courage
Cable and satellite TV channels are part of our lives now but two decades ago,this industry did not exist. It came up on its own,and was built entirely by private enterprise and zeal. No banks or institutions were ready to lend money to us because the industry didn8217;t have a proper regulatory framework and its antecedents were not proven. Yet,today,it is an industry worth more than Rs 20,000 crore and gives direct employment to around 3 million people and keeps as many indirectly employed. Its most important contribution,however,has been to provide wholesome round-the-clock entertainment to Indians from diverse socio-economic,religious and cultural backgrounds and age groups.
The audience
The bottomline
Yet,I would argue that programming needs to evolve. The look-alike family soaps and reality shows across TV channels is not a happy situation. There is,however,a reason why programming has been neglected. This industry has been struggling to make ends meet. Distribution has been a big bottleneck and with more than three-fourths of the money from subscribers getting siphoned off mid-way,broadcasters have had little resources to plough back into good programming.
Broadcasters in India have primarily survived on advertising and there has not been enough of it. So they have not experimented with new content and continued with old formats that appeal to the masses. This will definitely change with digitisation and with more revenues flowing in,Indian viewers are most likely to get niche,diversified and better content.
The consumers
Broadcasting has had a big impact on society. Thats to be expected given that it is a medium that touches the daily lives of millions of people across the country. When I look at the pictures of our youngsters two decades ago,the one thing that stands out is that they dressed and behaved very differently from today8217;s youngistanis. I feel this change has happened thanks to the cable and satellite industry. TV has created an army of consumers,who are much more demanding,discerning,cautious and confident.
