TV becomes spooky suddenly

doweshowbellyad=0; Get the spooky feel (TOI Photo)Television just decided to get a bit spooky on Halloween Day upping the TRPs.
Folks, it was Halloween yesterday and predictably TV suddenly got spooky for a day. If it was not the haunted bungalows this time then it is a documentary being aired on life and times of dayans (witches). Flip the channels and you got an eye full of women attending a prayer ceremony to rid their bodies ‘possessed’ by evil spirits.
While these instances all seem hard to stomach, viewership has certainly upped. But then nothing works better than cashing in on traditions and customs that are alien to our own, with Halloween joining the long list of such festivals after Valentines Day. Entertainment gurus are touting it as the next big moolah making content on the idiot box and audiences are not complaining either. What with these programmes successfully sending thrills and chills up their much bored spines.
Concurs Aditi Singh, a entrepreneur who is addicted to horror shows on TV I was surprised to see so many horror films on TV on a single day. Even the news channels kept telecasting something about Halloween and what it symbolised. I was thoroughly entertained, even if it was just for a day.
Not surprising says Prem Kamath, VP Marketing and Communications, Star Plus, It’s really not about what culture the festival belongs to, but it’s all about the interest it can generate when it comes to content. A few years back even Valentines Day was not readily accepted but today it has attained proportions that are hard to match with when it comes to popularity. Similarly, I feel there is an effort to bring Halloween to that stage of acceptance among the Indian audience as well.
The issue is not about the relevance of the event but the creative initiative to develop content that’s aimed at exclusive entertainment for viewers. The effort is to build a novelty programme segment and it’s being well received I feel.
And with the novel idea to generate content that does help in upping TRPs as well the search is on for such customs across the globe that can find favour with local audiences too.
As reasons Ashish Kaul, VP Zee TV, When it comes to airing horror shows to cash in on international events like Halloween, one must be clear that it is usually on the English language channels with a similar viewership.
Entertainment based on western concept usually offers the viewers of that segment a reference point just as during Holi programmes based on the festival become a point of reference for Indian viewers. In addition serials and programmes today target youngsters, so novelty in programming has become an essential element.
Nevertheless Satish Grover, Director, Lucknow Doordarshan feels such ideas only confuse the viewers even more and create a negative impact on the young and impressionable minds. He avers, Halloween has no relevance to Indian culture yet the private channels insist on doling out irrelevant content to viewers. In fact, policy makers in the I&B ministry do not encourage this yet it is being done. I personally feel when it comes to content, TV channels should stick to programmes based on Indian cultural traditions rather than pushing western content. I understand TRPs are important but not at the cost of promoting ideas that have no scientific relevance and can prove destructive in the long run.
And going by that, we sure are spooked?