With most Malaysians staying at home during the MCO, there is no surprise that most have spent their time watching the TV.
Photo: tirachardz
According to the Nielsen Television Audience Measurement, Malaysians’ TV viewing increased by 30% on average during the MCO. That’s an increase of almost 1 million viewers per minute!
Source: Nielsen Television Audience Measurement (TAM), 25 January - 12 April
Based on their research, as the COVID-19 situation got more intense, so did the hours spent watching television for many Malaysians.
On 25 January, when the first case was diagnosed in Malaysia, the balance between Medium viewers (viewers who watch 8-16 hrs per day) and Light (viewers who watch 0-8 hours per day) was quite well distributed, at 49% and 44% respectively. However, by 12 April this had changed to 58% Medium viewers and 32% Light viewers. This change resulted in the average daily time spent viewing television rising to 7 hours 7 minutes since the MCO.
Source: Nielsen Television Audience Measurement (TAM), 25 January - 12 April
“To look at it in a more simplistic way, at the end of January a daily total of around 29 million hours of television viewing was being consumed by the population, but by 12 April this had risen to 43 million hours, a staggering 49% increase. Importantly, increases were seen across both free-to-air and paid-for platforms,” says Jon-Paul Best, Managing Director of Nielsen Media Malaysia.
While the rise in viewing is expected as Malaysians tune in to the television to stay informed as well as to stave off boredom, the extent of the increase was extraordinary as it surpassed TV viewing levels seen before the recent digital revolution, Jon-Paul Best added.
It was also worth noting that Malaysians are not just tuning in to the news to get their information but are also watching a lot of reality, cooking and female-orientated shows during the MCO.
As for advertisers, despite the many eyes tuning in, an 8% decline in overall advertising spend from February to March indicates that companies are cautious about whether to advertise or not, with Travel & Tourism, Fast Food, Entertainment, Airlines and Department Stores being the most severely hit.
“Some businesses have questioned the benefit of advertising at this time if the population is severely limited in terms of what it can buy. However, as supermarkets remain open and as FMCG brands are some of the biggest advertisers, we believe that now is the time to invest in reaching out across all key media platforms, when consumers are most attentive and are looking for empathy,” said Jon-Paul adding that companies should remain engaged and ensure that their brands and products remain relevant.
So, now that we know that Malaysians are basically glued to their televisions, anything good showing?
By: Siti Farhana Sheik Yahya
