Skip to main content

What women want - a YouTube dive for the bored.

On a leading podcast, Palki Sharma (ex-WION, now FirstPost), a leading face of the new age digital indian media, claimed that over 80% of other viewers of indian infostories and news were men. Her next question was more pressing, and rightly so, coming from a lady who loved journalism so much, "Please help me understand what the women of India are watching?"

This question is neither new nor unsolved. The television media at the dawn of the millennium had a similar question for itself. As TVs had penetrated homes, broadcasters had realised that a massive half of the population was simply missing out form the audience. The answer to it came from Ekta Kapoor, who revolutionised the soap opera scene in India. When the "serials", as they were referred to, took over, it brought the broadcasters a new mass of viewers, neatly segmented as the daytime audience and evening shows. This move not only altered the course of media, but also advertising and consumer behaviour. For years, large FMCGs were able to sway their prime customers, the homemakers, through ads and campaigns placed with the soaps.

What Palki Sharma was seeking was the rebirth of this concept for the mobile world. India's mobile penetration with the advent of Jio has been discussed far and wide. This was the time that saw creators like Bhuvan Bam and Ashish Chanchlani rise to prominence. Then came along the daily vlogs. Today, both these formats have saturated, and the content method is overused. Podcasts are a recent phenomenon, but they seem to be saturating, too. The industry is in dire need of an innovation.

A case for innovation can surely be made with Samay Raina, comedian and chess enthusiast, who rose to the limelight during the pandemic, ushering a chess revolution in India. However, Samay is uncalculative, risky and unfiltered. When his idea of India's Got Talent came into fruition, it was a supernova, quickly establishing him in the YT scene. But the reckoning came swifter, within 7 episodes, it was broiled in enough controversies to die out in a blast. The controversy was as grand as the show.

A case for the opposite is with Farah Khan, the famed Bollywood personality. Her channel is the indian fusion of responsible paparazzi, vlogging, cooking and honour. A cocktail of stuff that has surely worked with the indian audience. While the content might not be ultra innovative, her delivery is perfected, posh enough to woo the elite and humble enough to please the masses. Her rise has been steadier than Samay's, and looks brighter as of now. Perhaps, and eligible answer to that of Palki's paheli.

Popular posts from this blog

Politics of Perpetuity

There are obvious downsides to democracy. When we look at the distribution of opinion on a particular issue, it generally follows a normal distribution. This implies that to achieve the majority, it's theoretically advised to stick to the centre. And this love for mediocrity makes democracy allergic to politically solid decisions.  Along with it, democracies tend to be the rooster for sweet talkers. And that is an outcome rather than a voluntary trait. Primarily because most voters need to be equipped to deal with the complexities of the field. For example, it could be more practical for an electrical engineer to comprehend medical patterns and the pandemic's effect on production. Thus, democratic institutions need people managers who have two keywords to watch out for - sweet talking and status quo. However, democracies have been hugely popular. And people have reported being happier. Whether this is induced, indoctrinated or influenced is another question. But history has cho...
dive in...

The Theatre Era

As tough times await us, it's frivolous to talk about theatres. But doesn't it look like theatres would go out of fashion before the pandemic ends( But would it ?? ) With the footfall on OTT platforms rising daily. Looking at a screen stuck to the chair, with no ability to pause or even play subtitles, sounds so technologically inferior. The blockbuster release has increasingly been  generously funded , mega-multi-starrer films, which keep running sequels until they go unprofitable . In fact, content is sometimes the second priority; the fan base and the festive season come first. Over the years, movie houses have mastered this art. Roping in top actors into characters that have gone synonymous with their name. The OTT platforms, however, are earmarked for the content. Their promise to give a shot to the aspiring director who doesn't have funds to compete against the mult-million movie releases. Thus i n its cast and crew shines the raw, untamed art which any critic would b...
dive in...

Birth of a flood - a poet's admire of rain

The sky is almost dark, save for those last golden tinges that would fade in no time. As palm trees mark the oblivion, a muddy reflection forms the ground. The last few days were mostly rainy. So profound is our love for rain. And why wouldn't we? Unlike most other seasons, rain is so tender. A drop of patience which is about to reach its final destiny. Every time I look at raindrops, they remind me of a struggle. A journey that begins with summer in an aura of dry and burning heat. And in no time, the drop loses its sources. The long-held identity of its mother. With the loss of identity, an awakening awaits. The pleasure of reaching out and bonding. As our drop moves up and up the end of the sky, it realises the futility of pride and the necessity to bond. This comes with age. Not until it is near Earth does it agree to meet with other wanderers of the new world. And finally, all our drops reach the cold atmosphere. The coldness makes life dreary and lonely. As the youthfulne...
dive in...