B.A. (Film, Television and New Media Production) Understanding TV Formats and Genres Syllabus - Mumbai University

This is the SY BAFTNMP syllabus under NEP 2020, in force from the academic year 2025-26. The first two years of this degree are on NEP; the third year is still on the University's earlier CBSGS scheme, and it is marked as such on its own pages.

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Syllabus for Understanding TV Formats and Genres

Major · Semester 3 · SY BAFTNMP · 4 credits · 60 hours · Continuous Internal Assessment: 40 Marks External Written Paper: 60 Marks

Course objectives

To understand how television programming works within industrial, narrative, and audience frameworks
To learn the logic of TRP/TVR-led drama creation
To examine the emergence and role of niche programming in the DTH and OTT age

Course outcomes

To introduce students to the structure and functioning of the television industry, including production, distribution, and regulation within industrial frameworks.
To analyze the narrative techniques employed in television programming, with a focus on genre, format, and seriality.
To understand audience engagement with television content, examining viewing habits, reception theories, and audience measurement systems.
9

Module 1: Nature of Drama in Television 10 hours

1. Evolution of television storytelling: From episodic to serialized formats
2. Types of shows: Daily soaps, serials, sitcoms, anthology series
3. Scheduling patterns: Prime time vs. non-prime time, weekday/weekend models
Case Studies: of TV shows of different Genres

Module 2: Creating Drama for TRPs/TVRs 10 hours

1. Understanding audience retention: Hooks, cliffhangers, suspense
2. Herd mentality and recycled formats in Indian television
Case Studies: Anaysis of TV shows of different genres

Module 3: Creating Niche Television Programming 10 hours

1. Defining “niche” content and identifying niche audiences
2. Role of DTH, digital, and OTT in supporting niche programming
Examples: Epic Channel, NDTV Good Times, Fox Traveller, Discovery Jeet etc

Module 4: Understanding TV Genres – Infotainment, Edutainment, Lifestyle,

Entertainment (10 Hours)
1. Genre theory applied to television: tone, pacing, narrative grammar
2. Format analysis of infotainment, lifestyle, and reality formats
Case Studies: BBC Earth, Discovery Channel, TLC, Colors, Star Plus etc

Module 5: Introduction to Direction for Television 10 hours

1. Distinctions between television and film direction
2. Visual grammar of TV: shot continuity, eyeline, multi-cam blocking
3. Script-to-screen workflow in television vs. OTT

Module 6: Contemporary Trends in Television and OTT 10 hours

1. Rise of hybrid formats: docu-dramas, reality-fiction fusion
2. Influence of global series on Indian storytelling
Examples of TV and OTT shows in the contemporary genre.

Text Books and Reference Books

1. Glen Creeber – Tele-Visions: An Introduction to Studying Television
2. Jeremy G. Butler – Television: Critical Methods and Applications
3. Amanda Lotz – The Television Will Be Revolutionized
4. Shoma Munshi – Prime Time Soap Operas on Indian Television
1. Academic and industry articles from Variety, The Wire, IndianTelevision.com
2. Madhavi Narsalay – Television and Popular Culture in India: A Study of Serial Narratives
3. Nalin Mehta – India on Television: How Satellite News Channels Have Changed the Way We Think and Act
4. Ashok Ranade – Key Concepts in Television Studies

Cut from the University of Mumbai syllabus for B.A. (Film, Television and New Media Production), item 5.56 (N) of the Academic Council meeting of 20.05.2025 (NEP 2020), in force from 2025-26. Wording, module numbering and reading lists are as printed there.

The complete syllabus

This subject is cut from one of the University circulars below. Open the document if you want the whole thing rather than a single subject.

PDF BA FTNMP Sem I and II (2024-25) NEP NEP 2020 syllabus, in force from 2024-25 Read full PDF Read

PDF BA FTNMP Sem III and IV (2025-26) NEP NEP 2020 syllabus, in force from 2025-26 Read full PDF Read

PDF BA FTNMP Sem III Field Project (2025-26) NEP NEP 2020 syllabus, in force from 2025-26 Read full PDF Read

PDF BA FTNMP Sem III Open Elective Ethics and Etiquettes in Digital Technology (2025-26) NEP NEP 2020 syllabus, in force from 2025-26 Read full PDF Read

PDF BA FTNMP Sem IV Open Elective Short Stories from the West (2025-26) NEP NEP 2020 syllabus, in force from 2025-26 Read full PDF Read

PDF BA FTNMP Sem I to VI (2017-18) CBSGS item 4.129 CBSGS syllabus, in force from 2017-18 Read full PDF Read

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