Quantitative Analysis of Indian Audiences Liking and Disliking for TV Reality Shows

Abstract

Jensen and Rosengren (1990) argued for the existence of five traditions in search of the audience: effects research, uses and gratifications research, literacy criticism, cultural studies, and reception analysis. McQuail combined these five domains into two approaches—behavioral and cultural—and added another approach—structural, which is widely used by media industries, such as Neilson rating research and Arbitron (Zhou 2006). The largest cluster is labeled active audience models and spans a period of 1944 to 1985 (Neuman and Guggenheim 2011). However, in today’s setting, media audiences are changing. The dynamics of how audiences consume—and, now, even produce—media are changing. The technological changes are compelling media organizations to think differently about their audiences, undermining traditional conceptual and analytical approaches while opening new approaches to conceptualizing audiences (Napoli 2012). The reason being one medium finds its extension in another. For example, television today is also watched on the internet by many young people. In addition to this venue, media services are converging (Spurgeon and Gerard 2007). An integration is occurring among text messaging (texting), emails, and phone calls into the genre of television reality shows. The concept of the audience as a set of spectators for public events was institutionalized more than 2000 years ago. It was an urban phenomenon, often with a commercial basis (Mcquail 2005). The audience in India used to be the spectators of the performing arts, such as dance and music in the royal courts. However, by the end of the 18th century, the British stopped patronizing the performing artists in India. Subsequently, in the 20th century, patronage of the arts was left to the masses, and the performance area shifted from the royal courts to the large halls (Johnson and Grave 2011). A common question is why the study of audience is required, even more...