Where DoorDarshan Lost the plot!

Growing up in the 1990s in India did not give you a lot of options when it came to watching television. Doordarshan or commonly known as DD was your sole source of entertainment, news and learning. Cable TV ushered in a large variety of channels to watch from, while recent advances in Satellite television, give you the option to actually pick the channels you would want to see.  Although, I have stopped watching direct television for over a couple of years now, television content (without the irritating adverts) continues to garner my attention.  It is needless to say that I am no fan of the Ekta Kapoor drama series, the laughter bouquet of SAB TV is something I keep going to. Whether the light hearted comedy of Tarak Mehta ka Oolta Chasma or the politico-social satire of Lapatagunj, the channel offers laughter to all and also at all times.  The comedy is natural, simple and unlike the comedy challenge shows, unforceful.

SAB started another series in November last year, called R.K.Laxman ki duniya. Mr. Laxman’s ‘Common Man ’ is known to all and also the inspiration to my Facebook page. I discovered this series by accident a few days ago and the light comedy plus a social message that accompanies the serial has made a place in my daily routine.  My room-mate and dear friend was quick to point out that SAB TV’s offering was nothing more than what DD did a few years ago. This statement made me think, where did DD lose it?

Image source: www.webmallindia.com 

The entry of private players in the Indian television industry and its ready acceptance was probably too much for DD to handle. Cable TV offered variety and people were ready to pay for it. For many years, cable TV was reserved for periods where schools had vacations, until it became a part of everyday life. Guess, producers at DD did not expect people to pay for TV signals, something they were offering for free. As far as I remember, Hum Paanch was the first success story of cable television.  Only a handful few, knew the traits of ‘Sweety’ and ‘Kajal bhai’ and you had to be paying member to know what entertainment it offered.

Then, came the era of drama, where all households in India spent  their evenings watching at least one, if not more, daily soap.  By now, most households had accepted cable TV as a part of routine life and cable subscriptions did not have to be justified any more. The twist of Mihir’s death left the country more distraught than the times Sachin has gotten out in the 90s and somehow everybody wanted him to miraculously return. And completely satisfying people’s wishes, return he did.

Anyways, the question is, what did DD do to grip the nation like this? A visit to my grandfather’s house, who still does not believe in subscribing to private channels, reminds me that there was nothing on offer on DD. To make matters worse, the channel also did not do much to retain rights to broadcast cricket, the most popular game of the country. It needed (a highly unfair) court order for DD to be able to broadcast cricket once again, but in my eyes, the channel has lost credibility.

The same channel that offered Surabhi, Ank Ajube, Hum Log, Nukkad, Shaktimaan and other such entertainment has nothing on offer to entice viewers. When SAB is replicating what DD did a few years ago, DD seems to be struggling to reinvent itself. Presumably, still the TV channel with the highest and widest viewership base, DD must rethink how it wants to be perceived and how it wants to impact the society. Although, it is very easy to spin an old drama series and present it as a new one, the challenge is to make itself attractive once again, create something innovative once again. Through its educational programs, DD continues to serve the nation and its people, but it must also engage people and offer products that they would like. Otherwise, it is not too difficult to repeat the repeated failures of Air India . No amount of rebranding can save you, if you fail to rebrand your thinking.