India 2018

430 India 2018
submitted before the Ministry by EMMC. These apparent violations not only
include obscene and vulgar programmes but several other types of content
too which violate general rules laid by the Ministry.
Because of the ever-increasing number of channels, there is a race
among channels to attract as many eyeballs as possible, and this trend has
resulted in most of the channels treading on a very thin line and often
barging into grey area. The somewhat callous attitude of TV channels
towards the regulatory guidelines is becoming a matter of concern,
particularly when an average Indian family, increasingly finds itself sitting
in front of the TV for a time longer than ever before. The change in trend of
TV viewing is also due to the fact that television industry has grown
immensely over the past few years. Television shows have evolved over the
years as more and more TV shows resort to unwarranted content to capture
their audience. It has been observed that some of the TV shows affect young
viewers and it is becoming a problem. Television influences the lives of
young children in a big way. Children are exposed to all sorts of violence
and anomalous culture at home. Public Interest obligation is missed by mass
media when they air programmes.
Advertisement sector is a key part of Indian television industry. With
the rising influence of TV media on people, it has become a catalyst of
consumerism. The scope of creativity is enormous in the field of advertising.
People like advertisements because they provide information and create
awareness about new products in the market. Our decisions, whether to buy
a product or not, are often completely influenced by the promotional
activities of the companies concerned. Therefore, due to unfair trade practices,
deceptive advertisements and widespread adverse impact of the
advertisements of unhealthy products like tobacco and liquor, the Government
of India has always endeavoured to curb or at least restrict advertisements
of such products by bringing in appropriate legislations, orders and directives.
As a reaction to the Government’s directive to ban advertisements of
products that are adverse to health, the major companies of liquor and
tobacco have taken the route of “Surrogate Advertisements”. These
advertisements are bombarded on viewers lest they forget the liquor and
tobacco brands as there is a ban on directly advertising them.
The advent of the “Era of Reality Shows”, in the Indian TV industry,
has generated fairly good TRP for many a TV channels. Nowadays, when
every second TV channel is coming with its own version of the “reality
programmes based on borrowed ideas and values”, it is very much imperative
for the Government to ensure that the ‘Freedom of Expression’ is not
misused to play with the young minds of our country. Such shows have a
greater impact on children than other regular TV programmes as they
interpret real life situations. Reality shows are meant for adults, and without
proper knowledge, understanding, and guidance, children can be misled by