Title: Changing landscape of entertainment in Bangladesh: an exploration

Authors: Tanvir Shatil; Golam Ahmed Rabbi; Shahaduz Zaman

Addresses: BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University, 65, Bir Uttam AK Khandakar Road (Old BRAC University Campus), Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh ' Advocacy for Social Change, BRAC, BRAC Centre 75 Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh ' Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex, UK

Abstract: This paper explores the impact of digital communication technologies on the entertainment landscape and how grassroots communities in Bangladesh are adapting to them. Mobile devices have made digital media, particularly audio-visual content, more accessible than before. However, more research is needed on the industry's current state and emerging trends in grassroots communities. Using an ethnographic approach, we studied the entertainment landscape in a sub-district (Dewanganj Upazila of Jamalpur District) of Bangladesh. We found that cell phones are prevalent and there is a demand for locally produced digital entertainment content. An informal market for local content development and sharing has emerged within the community, introducing new forms of entertainment. It was also observed that the sources of entertainment and information became personalised, localised, and digitalised.

Keywords: entertainment landscape; digitalisation; digital anthropology; technology; digital content localisation; digital culture.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDCET.2025.152651

International Journal of Digital Culture and Electronic Tourism, 2025 Vol.4 No.4, pp.342 - 357

Accepted: 11 Jun 2025
Published online: 01 Apr 2026 *

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