Pick up any newspaper, switch on the television, scroll through your phone – media surrounds every waking moment of modern life. In India, with a population of over 1.4 billion and one of the world’s most linguistically diverse societies, mass media does far more than deliver headlines. It informs citizens about events happening thousands of kilometres away, bridges educational gaps, and keeps communities entertained. Understanding why media is indispensable – and how it is structured – is fundamental to appreciating its enormous influence on consumers and society at large.
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What do we mean by mass media?
Mass media refers to any communication channel that reaches a large audience simultaneously. This includes print (newspapers, magazines), broadcast (radio, television), and digital platforms (news websites, social media, OTT streaming). As research by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Lokniti-CSDS notes, the media in its various forms today permeates our cultures, societies, politics and our daily lives in ways that are difficult to overstate. The shift from just newspapers and radio to a sprawling digital ecosystem has been rapid and dramatic, but the core functions of media – informing, educating, and entertaining – remain unchanged.
The three core functions of media
Information
The most fundamental need that media fulfils is keeping people informed. Whether it is a farmer in rural Odisha wanting to know about monsoon forecasts, a student in Mumbai tracking election results, or a trader in Delhi monitoring commodity prices, media serves as the primary source of information for society on any issue – local, regional, or global. People rely on and trust what the media presents to them. Newspapers, radio bulletins, television news channels, and now online news portals have all served this watchdog function at different points in India’s history.
The scale of India’s print media alone illustrates this point vividly. As of March 2022, the total number of registered publications in India stood at 1,46,045, comprising 20,821 newspapers and 1,25,767 periodicals. Prominent titles like The Times of India, The Hindu, and The Indian Express have historically shaped public opinion and national debates. Meanwhile, digital news consumption has exploded – India’s total internet users crossed 100 crore in June 2025, making online platforms an increasingly dominant source of daily news.
Education
Media has always been a powerful supplement to formal education, particularly in a country where classroom access remains uneven. Doordarshan, established on 15 September 1959, played a significant role in promoting education and cultural awareness, broadcasting programmes on science, technology, history, and literature. One of the most landmark experiments in this space was the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) in 1975, where satellite-based television programmes were beamed to around 2,400 villages across six states, dealing with topics like agriculture, health, and out-of-school education.
India’s space agency ISRO also leveraged space technology for education through projects like Educational TV (ETV) and the Countrywide Classroom (CWC) project, extending the reach of quality education to remote corners of the country. Today, digital platforms, educational apps, and YouTube channels have taken this function further, making learning accessible to anyone with a smartphone and a data connection.
Entertainment
Entertainment is arguably the function that draws the widest audience to media every single day. Television remains the most dominant form of broadcast media in India, reaching millions of households across urban and rural areas. National and regional channels cater to diverse preferences, with major media groups like Zee Entertainment, STAR Network, and Sun TV network driving the industry. Cinema adds another dimension – India produces more films annually than any other country in the world, with audiences consuming content in dozens of languages.
Entertainment is not trivial or secondary. It provides people with rest, emotional release, and cultural connection. It also serves as a vehicle for transmitting social values, as seen in long-running television serials or the popularity of regional films that reflect local life and customs. India’s media and entertainment industry is the fifth largest globally, valued at approximately ₹2,50,000 crore in FY24 and projected to grow at around 7% CAGR to reach ₹3,10,000 crore by FY27.
The dominance of regional language media in India
One of the most distinctive features of India’s media landscape is the sheer dominance of regional and vernacular language content. India is home to over 30 prominent languages, and by 2007, India consumed 99 million newspaper copies daily, making it the second-largest newspaper market in the world. Hindi-language newspapers consistently lead in readership, with regional titles in Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, Bengali, and Tamil commanding massive loyal readerships in their respective states.
On television, regional satellite channels in South India – particularly Sun TV, Asianet, ETV, and Zee Marathi – often outperform national Hindi channels in their home markets. This dominance reflects a fundamental reality: Indian consumers relate most strongly to content delivered in their mother tongue, covering local news, local politics, and local culture. Any understanding of media’s role in India must therefore account for this strongly regional character.
Types of broadcasting systems in India
India’s broadcasting system is not monolithic. It operates through three distinct models, each serving a different purpose and audience. The broadcasting sector broadly covers Doordarshan and All India Radio under Prasar Bharati, alongside private commercial broadcasters and community radio stations. Understanding these three models helps clarify who controls the airwaves, for whom, and to what end.
Public service broadcasting
Prasar Bharati – India’s state-owned public broadcaster – operates through its two arms: Akashvani (All India Radio) and Doordarshan. These are mandated to inform, educate, and entertain the public without the primary objective of generating profit. All India Radio’s home service comprises 591 broadcasting centres located across the country, covering nearly 90% of India’s area and 98% of the total population. Doordarshan currently runs 34 satellite channels and 66 studio centres across the country, including studios at all State capitals.
Prasar Bharati’s programming gives focused attention to education, literacy, agriculture, rural development, environment, family welfare, science and technology, and the welfare of women, children, minorities, and tribal communities. The Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021 found that DD News and All India Radio are the most trusted news brands in India – a testament to the credibility that decades of public service broadcasting have built. The legal basis for Prasar Bharati’s autonomy is the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990, which was finally implemented in November 1997 and granted independence from direct government control.
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting refers to privately owned television channels and FM radio stations that operate primarily to generate revenue through advertising. Since economic liberalisation in 1991 and the Supreme Court’s landmark 1995 ruling that the government’s monopoly over broadcasting was unconstitutional, private channels have grown explosively. India today has over 800 television channels and over 300 radio stations as part of its mass media infrastructure. As of today, 388 private FM radio channels are operating from 113 cities across the country.
Commercial broadcasters are regulated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with content governed by the Programme and Advertisement Codes under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. The commercial model has driven significant investment in programming quality and diversity, though it has also attracted criticism for sensationalism, entertainment-first news formats, and market-driven content decisions.
Community broadcasting
Community radio is the third and most grassroots form of broadcasting in India. These are low-powered FM stations owned and operated by local communities – typically non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, and agricultural bodies – to serve the specific needs of a defined local community. As per the Community Radio Guidelines (2006), non-governmental organisations and community-based groups with a track record of developmental work are eligible to set up Community Radio Stations.
The rules governing community radio in India are clear about their non-commercial, community-first character. At least 50% of all content broadcast must be generated with participation of the local community, and programmes must be in the local language and dialect. Advertising is permitted for a maximum of five minutes per hour, and the licence is issued for five years on a non-transferable basis. Crucially, community radio stations are barred from broadcasting independent news and current affairs content – such content can only be relayed from Akashvani.
The MIB issued revised policy guidelines for community radio stations as recently as February 2024, reflecting the government’s continuing commitment to expanding this sector. Community radio stations have proven especially effective in reaching tribal communities, women’s self-help groups, farmers, and others who are underserved by mainstream commercial media.
Why this matters for consumers
From a consumer protection standpoint, media is not merely a source of news and entertainment – it is a powerful force that shapes what people know about their rights, available remedies, and government schemes. Consumers who are well-informed are better equipped to make sound purchasing decisions, identify fraudulent practices, and seek redressal when things go wrong. Public service broadcasters like AIR and Doordarshan have historically played a direct role in broadcasting consumer awareness campaigns, government welfare schemes, and agricultural advisories to populations that private commercial media often overlooks. Community radio stations, rooted in local languages and local concerns, take this function even further at the hyperlocal level.
At the same time, the commercial media’s influence on consumption behaviour deserves critical attention. The emphasis on materialism and consumerism prevalent in media content can shape societal values, sometimes pushing consumers toward aspirational spending rather than informed decision-making. A media-literate citizen – one who understands not just what the media is saying but why – is therefore a more empowered consumer.
What do you think? Given that public service broadcasting is mandated to serve public interest while commercial broadcasters are driven by revenue, do you think Indian consumers receive genuinely balanced and complete information about their rights and available consumer remedies? And with regional language media commanding stronger trust and reach than national outlets in many states, should consumer awareness campaigns by the government invest more heavily in regional and community broadcasting channels?
References
- https://www.kas.de/en/web/indien/laenderberichte/detail/-/content/media-in-india-access-practices-concerns-and-effects
- https://iasscore.in/topical-analysis/role-of-media-in-india
- https://indianmediastudies.com/mass-media-in-india/
- https://www.ibef.org/industry/media-entertainment-india
- https://indianmediastudies.com/electronic-media-in-india/
- https://www.statista.com/topics/7243/media-and-entertainment-in-india/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media_in_India
- https://yourlegalcareercoach.com/broadcasting-regulations-in-india-detailed-analysis/
- https://prasarbharati.gov.in/
- https://prasarnet.prasarbharati.org/AboutUs.aspx
- http://mib.gov.in/ministry/organizations/prasar-bharati
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prasar_Bharati
- http://mib.gov.in/ministry/our-wings/broadcating-wing
- https://mib.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-07/study-on-listnership-reach-and-effectiveness-of-community-radio-stations-in-india-1-2.pdf
- https://www.teamleaseregtech.com/updates/article/29808/mib-issued-revised-policy-guidelines-for-setting-up-community-radio-st/
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