Nearly 40 million people around the world are living with HIV, more than two-thirds of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Teens and young adults, particularly girls and young women, are at particular risk of contracting HIV. Despite large investments by governments, multilaterals, NGOs, and funders in reducing the prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, new HIV infections among adolescents are not declining quickly enough to reach Sustainable Development Goal targets.

MTV developed an engaging way to reach young viewers, increasing their knowledge about HIV, boosting test rates, and changing beliefs about the stigma of living with HIV. The television drama Shuga followed a group of college students as they navigated career ambitions, relationships, and sexual health. The series aimed to promote healthier physical and social behaviors among young people, and it worked. A randomized evaluation found that viewers were more likely to get tested for HIV, less likely to test positive for other sexually transmitted infections, and more knowledgeable about safe sex, and they reported less negative perceptions of community members living with HIV. The series also shifted other sexual health behaviors: Female viewers were less likely to test positive for chlamydia.

The more immersed people were in the narrative, the stronger the effects. Other studies show that presenting health messages in an entertaining and dramatic way helps it stick better. In Burkina Faso, for example, a randomized evaluation found that a radio campaign that presented fictional characters grappling with decisions about contraceptive use helped increase female listeners’ use of contraceptives.

Educational entertainment is an important tool in a broader development toolkit. Information, no matter how compelling, isn’t enough to change behaviors if young people don’t have access to other health care resources. But when combined with interventions that increase access to condoms, testing, and antiretrovirals, and that tackle harmful gender norms that constrain health choices, edutainment offers a promising solution to slowing the spread of HIV and other STIs among young people.

Media interventions have the potential to shift behaviors at scale. MTV Staying Alive Foundation tailored its messaging based on the evaluation results and produced seven more seasons airing on channels in Nigeria, South Africa, and Cote d’Ivoire. Shuga and its spinoffs have now been broadcast to more than 720 million households across more than 70 countries. Many other creative organizations have since adopted edutainment approaches, using movies, radio, social media, and games to address topics from financial planning to literacy to gender-based violence.