Global media magnate Rupert Murdoch has been a key player in the exponential growth of the Indian television market, attracted by the large and increasingly affluent urban middle classes. The success of his Star network in India reflects marketdriven strategies, which include the skilful localization of content. This article examines the case of Star News as exemplifying the trend in television news towards infotainment in the context of a more general ‘Murdochization’ of the media in India. It then goes on to analyse its impact on the quality of public discourse in television news. This, the article argues, has implications for the role of the media in a developing country where one-third of the population is illiterate.

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