Promoting HIV/AIDS Awareness Among Youth - The UNAIDS Collaboration with Channel V

20 television spots were made by Channel V to be aired in prime time. The spots, unified under the theme of "Let's Talk", featured young people talking about their lives, their relationships, and the need to talk about HIV/AIDS openly. Many of the spots carried the national toll-free number for HIV/AIDS counseling initiated by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the phone numbers of HIV/AIDS non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in six cities across the country.

The on-the-ground campaign involved road shows led by the Channel V's VJs. The VJs, who underwent sensitisation and training on HIV/AIDS issues, visited colleges, pubs, cafes, and other places frequented by young people. In addition, the project collaborated with music promotion company DNA on HIV/AIDS awareness efforts at the sites of their music concerts. Several concerts were witness to substantial outreach efforts by NGOs in the concert location. Channel V's annual music awards, which featured international artists such as the Spice Girls, and Don Bon Jovi, as well as national artists such as Daler Mehendi and Lucky Ali, saw the involvement of about 10 NGOs that distributed informational literature and condoms to an audience of over 13,000.

HIV/AIDS.

Organisers were motivated by the conviction that the advent of Star TV and music entertainment channels such as MTV and Channel V changed the face of Indian television. They also noted that urban youth are often the focus of media and advertising attention. In turn, according to UNAIDS, urban youth in the late 1990s saw the VJs of Channel V and MTV as representative of their interests and concerns, and, in many cases, as clean role models for their generation. It was to capitalise on this that UNAIDS, New Delhi initiated a collaboration with Channel V. Channel V was chosen because it was extremely popular at the time. Viewership surveys by market research agencies indicated that Channel V was rated among the top 10 favourite channels and also figured among the top ten channels in terms of cable distribution. It also ranked as the preferred channel for 831 out of 1,000 viewers in the 15-34 years age category. Further, respondents in the survey perceived the Channel mix as one that fits Indian tastes, as presenting a "complete package" with well-rounded entertainment and VJs who were personalities to whom they could relate.