| Television in India has grown by leaps and bound. The | | | | waiting for ‘Swayamavar Part 2. The producers |
| journey has been long and interesting. Doordarshan | | | | will be lucky if they can rope in some hunks like |
| held sway throughout the 80’s and 90’s. The | | | | Salman Khan or John Abraham. One cannot help but |
| entire country laughed and cried with Doordarshan. | | | | imagine the kind of cheeky questions that might be |
| There were serials such as “Hum Log”, “Yehi | | | | posed to Salman Khan by spirited damsels! |
| Jo Hai Zindagi”, and “Karamchand” These | | | | The show Bandini on NDTV Imagine has also won |
| were so popular that the main actors enjoyed | | | | rave reviews. Bandini means prisoner and this program |
| popularity which rivaled that of any film star. Today, the | | | | is a poignant tale of a young woman's journey! The |
| viewer has a wide choice between several channels | | | | story of Bandini is based upon a Gujarati family living in |
| catering to different genre. There are channels for | | | | a village. The main protagonist is an 18-year-old girl, |
| family entertainment, news, sports, and Infotainment. | | | | who works in a factory. The serial progresses with a |
| Entertainment channels have found a loyal audience | | | | series of events, including Santo getting married. Her |
| among the Indian middle class, especially housewives. | | | | marriage completely changes her life. The other |
| Most of the leading programs report very high | | | | popular shows are Meera, Seeta and Geeta, and |
| TRP’s. The programs consist of soap operas, | | | | Jyoyi. We also see that most of the shows are |
| movies, action, and drama programs. Different | | | | women centered, with strong focus on the hopes, |
| programs at different time slots cater to different | | | | dreams, and aspirations of the protagonist. |
| targeted audience. In the entertainment genre, the | | | | Television, like any medium, is evolving. The focus is |
| popular channels are Star Plus, Zee TV, Sony, NDTV | | | | gradually shifting to the online media. Viewers want to |
| Imagine, Set Max, and Sahara to name a few. Though | | | | watch their favorite programs from the convenience |
| Star Plus and Zee TV were the original pioneers, | | | | of their PC’s. Most channels are reporting more |
| channels like NDTV Imagine, Colours, and Set Max are | | | | traffic from their online versions. Most channels also |
| giving them stiff competition. This is due to the | | | | offer online versions to their dedicated viewers all over |
| unbelievable success of programs such as “Rakhi | | | | the globe, the popular ones is NDTV online, WatchIndia |
| Ka Swayamvar”. This program has tremendously | | | | TV that offers a variety of the favorite shows. |
| increased in popularity. The show continued to grow in | | | | Various Entertainment Programs at NDTV Imagine |
| popularity, especially towards the end. Even rival | | | | The greatest challenge to various entertainment |
| channels like Star Plus is planning to launch a similar | | | | channels does not come from the competition, but |
| show based on “The Perfect Bride” soon. The | | | | from an audience that evolves from time to time. |
| concept has even found takers with regional channels. | | | | Creative heads have to keep pace with an evolving |
| NDTV Imagine – the Favorite Entertainment | | | | audience that’s still needs to grow up. Ekta Kapoor |
| Channels | | | | seems to be the best exponent in this fine art of |
| Interestingly, Rakhi Sawant’s Swayamavar proved | | | | understanding the ever-changing sentiments of |
| to be a big hit with the viewers on account of the | | | | television audiences. |
| novelty of the concept. Viewers are now eagerly | | | | |