2020 APAC Media Landscape

*This article is an updated version of High context culture: What PR Pros need to know about South Korea, with figures and information from 2020. South Korea is set to receive global attention in June 2021 as it is one of the four countries that has been invited to participate in this year’s G7 summit in the United Kingdom. The annual summit, which is organized by G7 (Group of 7), where government leaders from the world’s most affluent nations discuss pressing global issues.   Key issues on the agenda are likely to be the world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its global…

Overview   In 2020, the media in Thailand had to endure hardships brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic had a far-reaching effect on the economy, affecting media revenues and ad spending, which is an important source of income. Data from the Media Agency Association of Thailand (MAAT) showed that ad spending in 2020 fell 14% to 104.509 billion baht compared to 122.18 billion baht in 2019.   The situation prompted media agencies to adjust their business operations and content formats to survive and attract readers. Publications such as magazines and newspapers, which have been dealing with…

Overview COVID-19 has posed a serious threat to the sustainability of Indonesia’s media industry. According to Asmono Wikan, the Secretary-General of the Newspaper Publishers Union (SPS), which represents more than 400 media companies in Indonesia, many media professionals are at risk of losing their jobs. Nearly half of SPS’ members have retrenched staff or are planning to do so. The pandemic has also posed risks health risks to some media professionals in the country. According to findings from the Independent Journalist Association (AJI), more than 70 media professionals tested positive for…

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,…