Introduction to Television in India

• In India Doordarshan was started as an experimental

service on 15 September, 1959 in Delhi as part of All India
Radio’s services.
• The government had been reluctant to invest in television
initially, because it was felt unaffordable medium for a
poor country like India
• Television had to prove its role in the development
process
• Initially programs were broadcast twice a week for an hour
a day on topics as community health, citizens duties and
rights etc.
• In 1961 a school educational television project was
broadcasted
• Doordarshan began a five-minute news bulletin in 1965.
Pratima Puri was the first newsreader.
• In 1975, the government carried out the first test of the
possibilities of satellite based television through the SITE
(Satellite Instructional Television Experiment) program, to
play a role in socio-economic development
• Television services were separated from radio on 1 April
1976
• In 1982, Doordarshan as a National Broadcaster came
into existence
• In 1976, the advent of advertising on Doordarshan
established TV as a future of mass media
• Commercialization of Doordarshan saw the development
of soap operas, situation comedies, dramas, musical
programs, quiz shows
• In 1991, first time International satellite television was
introduced in India by CNN through its coverage of the
Gulf War
• In the same year, Hong Kong based Star TV started
broadcasting five channels into India using the ASIASAT-1
satellite
• A number of Indian satellite based television services were
launched between 1991 and 1994 including Zee TV, Sony
TV etc.