ABSTRACT

For the first four decades after independence in 1947, the Indian media industries provided an illustration both of the mixed-economy model established by the Congress Party and of the federal structure of the country. Unlike the various Indian film industries, which supplied different language groups across the country with populist fare at the cinema, the realms of radio and television were state monopolies that remained under tight central control. Nation-building agendas and didactic imperatives dictated the wider purpose and content of television broadcasting in India, giving the national broadcaster Doordarshan a justified reputation as a state mouthpiece with an aversion to entertainment. Following the political upheavals of 1991, one of the most visible symptoms of the subsequent ‘liberalization era’ was the progressive opening up of the media sector. The rapid growth of ‘multinational’ television in the country has been paralleled by even more spectacular growth in the numbers, size and scope of commercial Indian broadcasters. Deregulation has instigated the emergence of a vibrant multi-vocal mediasphere in South Asia, more than capable of balancing the presence of foreign operators. Since, unlike the reaction to the commercialization of broadcasting in Europe, few commentators in India today have lamented the displacement of Doordarshan, this chapter will argue that the Indian experience indicates the need for a new critical understanding of the potentials of television in Asia after the era of state monopoly.