Indian Television - From a Single Channel to More Channels Each Day

In the early days of this industry there were few serials, or drama shows showcased on television. The single Indian TV channel was used to inform the consumers about the governments various schemes; it was used to showcase values and message ads for population control etc. This channel showcased cultural programs and dance recitals on TV. Speeches by the Prime Minister and the President of the country on Independence and Republic Day were the highlight of the day's celebration. Different States present a preview of the state on wheels called floats during the republic day parade is extremely popular even today. Progress both economic and technological has brought a sea change in the last 6 decades of TV viewing.
From a single Indian TV channel to a few in the 80's to cable TV to satellite channels television has come a long way. TV viewing today is exhausting, there are so many channels to view, new channels being added each day yet time available to see them is very limited. It's such an ironical time. When people had ample time to complete their chores and watch TV there was a single Indian TV channel to see, while today when you hardly get any time you have the option to watch 100+ TV channels.
The viewer has become very choosy about the channels he likes, what with so many options available. There are a lot of channels from Hindi TV channels to movie to music to history to animal planet. The TV viewing experience has changed too, with bright colours, more drama, better editing and quality of picture being shown on Indian TV channels with satellite to home connections.
Hindi TV channels today cater to almost every age group. Family viewing of drama serials, reality shows for dance, cooking, singing etc, kid's shows like cartoon, fantasy and fairy tale shows, to travel channels showing every place of worship in India, their importance and rituals followed with the stories behind each shrine. Every Hindi TV channel is constantly vying for the top slot in channel consumer viewer polls. They look for new ways to showcase either the same plot in a different way, or to come up with new show formats that were not showcased earlier in a bid for supremacy.
New genres are being invented in a bid to grab the interest of the new age consumer; with an eye to improve either their sagging TV channel ratings or to become household names and staying on top of the fame chart always. Today there is at least one dedicated channel for different things like Hindi TV channels for drama, news channels, for history, music channels, and of course devotional channels.