ABSTRACT
All countries in South Asia, with the exception of the small, hill kingdom of Bhutan, experienced British colonial rule for three centuries or more. The relationship between state broadcasting and citizens in South Asia has, for the most part, been fraught. The lack of an identity for the state broadcaster in South Asia has been a recurrent, persistent issue. In the post-independence period, state broadcasting in South Asia was primarily used as the means to shore up support for whichever political party was in power. A favorable economic environment and the opening up to foreign direct investment (FDI) and private capital investments have contributed to unprecedented media growth in South Asia. The case study of TV18 from India highlights the synergies between politics and the media, as it illustrates the rise of a company aided by political connections in a relatively short period to become the market leader in India.
