INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD ISSN – 2455-0620 Volume - 2, Issue - 9, Sept - 2016 POPULAR TELEVISION SHOWS &STUDENTS: An intrinsic analysis on the popularity and preference of television programs among College and University students in Tamil Nadu Page 249 POPULAR TELEVISION SHOWS &STUDENTS: An intrinsic analysis on the popularity and preference of television programs among College and University students in Tamil Nadu 1. INTRODUCTION: 1.1 Television During the last 50 years, television is considered as one of the greatest inventions of the scientific world that has contributed immensely to the development of mankind. It has brought people of different countries and regions closer to each other, enabling them to learn about the culture and traditions flourishing in different parts of the world. It is perhaps the most powerful means of mass communication for education and entertainment. The history of television in India started around later fifties. In 1955 a Cabinet decision was taken disallowing any foreign investments in print media which has since been followed religiously for nearly 45 years. Under this circumstances, television in India was introduced on September 15, 1959 in Delhi when UNESCO gave the Indian Government $20,000 and 180 Philips TV sets. The programs were broadcast twice a week for an hour a day on such topics as community health, citizens' duties and rights, and traffic and road sense. In 1961 the broadcasts were expanded to include a school educational television project. The first major expansion of television in India began in 1972, when a second television station was opened in Bombay. This was followed by stations in Srinagar and Amritsar (1973), and Calcutta, Madras and Lucknow in 1975. In 1975, the government carried out the first test of the possibilities of satellite based television through the SITE ((Satellite Instructional Television Experiment)) program. For the first 17 years, broadcasting of television spread haltingly and transmission was mainly in black & white. By 1976, the government found itself running a television network of eight television stations covering a population of 45 million spread over 75,000 square kilometres. Faced with the difficulty of administering such an extensive television system television as part of All India Radio, the government constituted Doordarshan, the national television network, as a separate Department under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 1.2 Television Shows in India With reality TV being so popular, ordinary people are getting chance to show their talents in front of the world. People always want to see sometimes different on television screen. Interesting scripts and creative ideas ensured that reality shows had their fan following. Today there are many kinds of reality shows on Indian TV screen. there are shows for dancer like (Boogie Woogie, Dance India Dance, Jhalakdikhlaja) there are shows for housewives like (Master Chef, Dance India Dance Super Moms, Tolmolkebol),there are shows for people having interest in acting and film line like (Cine Star Ki Khoz, India’s best Dramebaaz, India’s Got Talent). There are also programme for singers like sa re ga ma pa, Singing superstar, Voice of India. S. Sree Govind Baratwaj 1 and Venkatesh Aravindh R 2 1. Research Scholar, Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication, Periyar University,Salem TN, India. 2. Research Scholar, Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication, Periyar University,Salem, TN, India. Email - baratwazamj@gmail.com / rvenkatesharavindh@gmail.com Abstract: Television is a medium that has long been a part of our lives and in the society. Watching Television is prevalent. During its inception TV, was very popular among the masses. TV as a medium reached out to a large variety of masses cutting across age groups. Popularity of TV was said to be on the decline once internet and other newer technologies stepped in the media arena. This research study aims to explore how the students use television as medium and to find out the popularity of various TV programs. The study will also seek answers in finding out about the preference of students in watching TV and TV programs. The researchers have used quantitative research approaches to elicit response from the respondents. Keywords: Television, students, medium, popularity, preference.