You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
This study examined the influence of independent television (ITV) educational and entertainment programs on viewers in Benin city, Nigeria. The study was grounded in the Uses and Gratification Theory and employed a survey research design with a questionnaire as the data collection instrument. A sample size of 400 respondents was purposively chosen. Data collected were analysed using simple percentages. Findings revealed that 45.8% respondents watch educational and entertainment programmes on ITV very frequently, 21.4% prefer to tune in to watch entertainment rather than educational programmes. This study also explored the influence of the influence of the programmes on viewers. Respondents were divided on whether the educational programs enhanced their knowledge and awareness, but majority believed the programs had positively influenced their knowledge and awareness of social issues. This suggests that while the educational content may not have directly translated to increased knowledge, it was successful in raising awareness on important social topics. The researcher recommends that ITV Benin management conduct audience research to understand the driver behind the viewership gap and develop targeted strategies for improving engagement with the educational content. Additionally, the researcher suggest that Benin city education authorities collaborate with ITV Benin to integrate the educational programs into school curricula and activities, leveraging the channel’s reach to enhance learning outcomes for students.
