| Home > Articles > Saas-Baho Serials V/S Mario & company. |
|
| Saas-Baho Serials V/S Mario & company. |
|
|
| Saas-baho serials versus yahoo and google, with mario and snake for company-those are
the choices confronting todays 15-years-olds
|
|
|
FIFTEEN years back, media in India meant just two things-terrestrial television (in most cases, television with one solitary channel featuring mind-numbingly dull programming) and print. Then, in early 1991, for a handful of Indian, at least, the window to the world got bigger. Satellite television began, flashing images of Patriots and Scuds lighting up the night skies over Kuwait, and live reportage from the battlefront. Today, there are over 200 television channels beaming into Indian homes, and were still counting. And, if thats not complex enough, todays kids also access the world through two other screens-the PC monitor and the mobile phone, both products of the last decade-and-a-half. Obviously, its hard for the 15-year-olds surveyed here to imagine life before 1990. Then again, perhaps theyd dont even care, busy as they are with satellite television, the internet and their mobile phones. And, if it appears as if todays kids are spoilt for choice, it would do well to remember that this is just a beginning- for, the future might well be a combination of all media seamlessly integrating onto one single platform.
But thats still some time away. Whats the present like? What does the generation of 15-year-olds watch, what kind of TV programming appeals to them, what role does the internet play in their lives? This survey throws up some fairly obvious facts-and a few surprises. Star Plus, with its array of scheming and quarrelsome saas-bahus may not seem like something 15- year-olds would care much for, yet its the favourite TV channel across the country, appealing to an impressive 27% of the respondents. As with Balaji Telefilms, the K mantra works as a talisman for Star Plus too, with its Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) being voted as the favourite TV programme, followed by Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The largest viewership base for Star Networks flagship channel is Delhi (49%), followed by Mumbai (37%), Kolkata (36%) and Bangalore (12%). Chennai is a notable exception, where understandably, Sun TV and Sun Music rule the airwaves.
A finding that should give movie makers some amount of joy is the fact that 93% of the teenagers surveyed watch Movies-but no prizes for guessing that most of them prefer Indian cinema to Hollywood fare. In films too, however, regional biases are in strong evidence; Bollywood still isnt big enough in the southern parts of the country, with language films ruling the roost. The same holds true when it comes to respondents favourite music artistes and songs. Evenings happen to be the time that teenagers usually listen to music, and CD players and audio cassettes seem to be the preferred listening device/format, though MP3 is quite popular in Mumbai and Bangalore. Strikingly, radio barely finds mention, languishing at the bottom of the pile.
When it comes to internet usage, its only logical that Indias software mecca, Bangalore, has the highest percentage of 15-year-olds logging on among the five metros, Delhi registers the lowest usage. Across India, the most common access point of the internet is the neighbourhood cyber-café. In Bangalore, however, educational institutions account for a large proportion of internet usage, while in Mumbai, home is where netizens log on the most. The list of favourite website is topped by Yahoo, followed by Google and Rediff. As internet penetration increases. India should see a battle royale between the two global giants.
Gaming is another area that has caught the fancy of teenagers, be it at cyber cafes, gaming arcades or on the mobile phone-which, incidentally, has aided in the rapid proliferation of gaming. This is borne out by the fact that mobile phones are the most commonly used gaming device, followed by video game consoles and personal commonly played game, followed by Space and Mario.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| Become a Writer |
| You can contribute article on technology management trade or related topics and get noticed on the web for Free. |
| Learn More |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post your Comments