Entertainment Education

The entertainment education (EE) approach shows that entertainment storylines influence people's attitudes, opinions, and behavior, and this occurs, among others, when it comes to health and disease. In the case of TV shows and movies cancer is the most frequently shown disease, and this is especially important when considering the rise of VOD platforms, gaining in subscribers and popularity. The article aims at signaling Netflix's EE potential, hence it could be a starting point for future studies of streaming platform's EE, a highly neglected area. Netflix is thus 1) compared with other popular VODs in terms of the number of cancer content (this being the main interest of the presented analysis) and 2) three content categories are indicated. Also, 3) a brief description of selected texts is presented. The aim of the article is exploratory, and it highlights the need for future research, as the potential of Netflix's EE seems the greatest when compared to other platforms analyzed. Netflix has the largest number of contents featuring cancer, and these could influence audiences, i.e., raise awareness, change attitudes, and motivate individuals to act.

Entertainment-education (EE) projects combine entertainment and education to increase knowledge, shift attitudes and promote social change using a range of communication platforms including theatre, radio, television, games, social media and others. Theoretical understanding regarding the underlying mechanisms of this creative communication approach developed alongside evidence and best practices for designing, implementing and evaluating interventions using techniques that reflect the current state of the field. Recent best practices often utilize participatory methods, a bottom-up approach wherein researchers work with stakeholders to identify culturally relevant indicators of change and gather information about the assets and needs of affected communities. Despite calls in the literature for reporting on participatory processes for health communication, a synthesis of such methods specific to EE has yet to emerge in the published literature. This comprehensive search reviews participatory best practices specifically used for the development and implementation of EE interventions with a wide range of behaviour and social change objectives. Findings suggest utilizing participatory research methods provide unique opportunities for inquiry aligned with current theory and evidence for both EE interventions and across other creative communication strategies. Implications include programmes produced by and with an audience as opposed to for an audience. Gather Around the Fire Picture our human ancestors thousands of years ago gathered around a fire listening to an elder. Before written text, oral storytelling passed on history and traditions to future generations. As humans took word to stone and paper, storytelling continued to communicate history, teach lessons and impart wisdom to

Background: UNICEFs Facts for Life (FFL) Communication Initiative utilizes convergent strategies for engendering behavior and social change by providing parents and other caregivers with the information they need to save and improve children’s and mother’s lives. FFL’s flagship activity from 2008 to 2011 was an entertainment-education television drama serial titled Kyunki… Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai (Because… That’s What Life Is). This case study describes and analyzes findings from an evaluation of Kyunki.
Methods: The research design for Kyunki consisted of 3 cross-sectional evaluation assessments: a baseline (conducted before the show aired in 2008), midline (after approximately 260 episodes in 2009), and an endline (after the conclusion of the serial and 501 episodes in 2011), all utilizing the same sampling design. The primary objectives were to: 1) compare exposed and unexposed respondents at midline and endline, and 2) compare knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, self-efficacy, social norms, interpersonal communication, practices, and behaviors related to FFL topics over time among the baseline, midline, and endline responses.
Results: Results indicated that Kyunki elicited high levels of exposure, message, and story recall. Positive results were found at endline on many variables within each of the outcomes assessed (knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived importance, social norms, and behaviors). The program appears to have had an impact over time among those exposed with results making the case that longer exposure (ie, endline) was associated with more positive results than shorter exposure (ie, midline).
Conclusions: In the future, entertainment-education should move beyond the awareness-generation model and design programs and evaluations from the beginning that target not only changes in knowledge, but also attitudes, efficacy perceptions, and social norms. In addition, an enabling environment is needed that nurtures program messages and translates them into reality.

This article is part of an entertainment-education research (EE) from the
perspective of narrative persuasion. It presents the results of experimental research aimed at contributing to the improvement of the design of EE strategies to promote HIV testing in men who have sex with men (MSM). Specifically, we assessed the effect of the entertainment-education message (written vs. audiovisual) and the moderating role of the ability to generate mental imagery in the persuasive impact of EE pieces. In this experimental research, 109 MSM were randomly distributed into two experimental conditions (audiovisual versus written message). The results showed that the ability to generate mental imagery moderated the effects of the EE message modality on narrative transportation and the identification with characters. Besides, it was verified that narrative transportation and identification with characters are relevant mediating mechanisms, but these indirect effects were conditioned by the ability to generate mental imagery. These results suggest an advance in the knowledge process of narrative persuasion, the role of individual differences, and the provision of relevant information for the design of EE interventions.

Every General Entertainment Television channel irrespective of its geographical presence appears to be largely depending on Reality Shows to capture and retain the eyeballs of the audiences for their survival.  The struggle to secure high TRP rating though has changed the definition of reality shows, with the time- it is obvious that reality shows have remained a popular program format ever since the day they were conceptualized for telecast.  The program genre, which started in quiz format on Indian television today, appears in various formats with the sole purpose of entertainment. Reality shows appear to earn maximum revenue by virtue of either providing a platform for film celebs to publicize their work or by trapping the emotional quotient of the viewer through scripted scenes, thus becoming a must go program for GECs. A closer look at the ‘shows’ that are being telecast reveals that, these shows are not only formulated, developed and structured on a borrowed western concept but are further translated tailored to suit the budget and technical availability of the regional channel.  With many social groups expressing their displeasure against some of the concepts that are being incorporated in Reality shows, there arises also a situation to study on the influence of these ‘Shows’ on other entertainment program formats particularly teleserials. As both teleserials and reality shows appear to be locking their horns not only from business perspective of the channel but also on emotional quotient of their audience.
Objectives:
1. To critically examine the reason behind viewer’s preference on watching reality shows.
2. To analyze the influence of reality shows on teleserials.