Television in Sri Lanka

America has many different types of television shows, the most popular being reality shows such as Survivor and American Idol.

Sri Lanka has evolved a lot in the past few years, and they now have many shows that are very similar to the shows here.

One of the most popular shows in America is American Idol, a singing competition. In Sri Lanka, there is a show titled 'Derana Dream Star', which is almost identical to American Idol (right down to the teasing contestants who are less than talented). Here is a clip of a man trying out and getting mocked by one of the judges. I presume the judge says something witty at the end.



The channel that hosts 'Derana Dream Star' is apparently 'Sri Lanka's Premium Entertainment Channel'. I'm not sure how that compares to America's entertainment channels, but it seems they have a lot in common.

Another favorite in America is Survivor. I found a Sri Lankan show that seems very similar, called 'Derana Real Leader'. People compete and perform various tasks that test their physical agility. The prize? "A Star class job opportunity as a management trainee in one of Sri Lanka's blu chip companies." Sound familiar? Yeah, it sounds like The Apprentice to me. This show seems to be a mix of the two.

Here is a commercial:



Overall, Sri Lanka has many of the same types of television shows as America. There is less of a market for it, considering the percentage of homes in Sri Lanka that actally have a television.


Sources:

http://www.derana.lk/show.php?prid=30
http://www.youtube.com/v/CWojY0hPkjQ&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.youtube.com/v/SBymjdkuSew&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html