An Analysis of Violent Content on Chutti TV in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

abstractThe paper presents the impact of violent content on Chutti TV, a channel targeting children. Chutti TV is a Tamil channel that has a wide viewership among children in Chennai, the state of Tamil Nadu in India; as Anintha Sarkar (2009), a member of the indiantelevision.com, states Sun TV’s grip down South India extends beyond general entertainment audiences. The two-year-old kids’ channel Chutti TV has grabbed a 60 percent share in Tamil Nadu while global brands Disney XD and Cartoon Network fight hard to crack that market with their localised versions. Weekly taping comprised an average of seven hours on weekdays, including Saturdays and Sundays. The total hours taken for this study comprises 1,088 hours. In case of re-runs, which occur frequently on Chutti TV, analysis from the data of the original air time and date was counted. Any missing episode was replaced with the next new episode after the end of the study period. Specified programmes, which were taped for content analysis, were coded. Five programmes were taken for the study that comprises ‘Jackie Chan Adventures’, ‘Dora the Explorer’, ‘Max Steel’, ‘Avatar’ and ‘He-man’ telecast on Chutti TV. The study highlighted the violent content and also suggested the need for media education in schools, proper guidance of parents, and basic ethics for the production organisations.