Asia Specials

Overview  One of the fastest emerging economies in Asia, Vietnam is home to a digital population that is highly connected to the Internet and mobile devices. In a country of 96.9 million people, there is a 70% internet penetration rate – the number of internet users in the country increased by 10% to 68 million last year. There are also 145.8 million mobile phone connections and 65 million active social media users as of January 2020, according to the 2020 We Are Social Vietnam Report. Despite the strong digital presence, the popularity of traditional media has not diminished in Vietnam. Television remains a…

Overview The COVID-19 outbreak has left a significant impact on almost every industry and the Korean media industry was no exception. According to a 2020 Media Report by Korea Press Foundation, 84.2% of newspaper and magazine businesses said they are experiencing a state of financial crisis. The situation is even more dire for daily and weekly newspapers and they have been suffering a dramatic dip in advertising revenue from last year. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="805"] South Korea has one of the world’s lowest rating in public trust of its news,…

Overview Media Consumption Inflated during the Pandemic The COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia has spurred media companies to pivot their business strategies to meet the new needs and concerns of consumers in the new normal. In 2020, media consumption habits saw a major shift. The Malaysian Digital Association (MDA) analysed the viewership of key media publishing outlets to evaluate the media consumption patterns of Malaysians during the nationwide lockdown and Movement Control Order (MCO) that started last March. With many forced to spend most of their time at home, mainstream media…

Overview Singapore’s media scene was a hive of activity during the circuit breaker period in the first half of 2020. From April to June, the government enforced movement restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19. Acting as a main source of information, the media was heavily relied upon for news on the outbreak and public service announcements on safe distancing and hygiene measures. News websites and channels saw a spike in viewership during this period when more people wanted to be kept updated on the developing situation. According to a…

In 2020, the Hong Kong media landscape was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking a re-organization of the industry’s operations and resources. We track the key developments and trends in the territory’s media sector, major changes in editorial operations and chart out the industry’s outlook for 2021. Overview of Hong Kong’s Media Landscape in 2020 With business disruption sparked by the pandemic, the advertising revenue of media companies saw a sharp decline. As a result, media companies had to cut costs through layoffs. To supplement their revenue, media outlets such as…