In this week’s extract from our Thirty Rising Media Markets report, we look at the fast-developing media market in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s ad market was historically restricted by the closed and controlled nature of the economy, but it has grown rapidly as the economy has opened up. We estimate total ad expenditure at US$302 million in 2016, up 152% since 2012. We expect rapid growth to continue for many years to come, as more international brands enter the market and consumption plays a greater role in driving economic growth.
The media are gradually opening up to private investment, but the process has been limited by available funding, and the difficulty of competing with subsidised public media.
The public broadcaster MRTV broadcasts two channels, MRTV and MRTV4. There are also a number of private channels, such as Channel 7, the Forever Group’s 5 Plus, and Yangon-based MNTV. Satellite television is now legal and is often used to supplement the choice of domestic channels with foreign media.
MRTV’s Myanmar Radio is the main radio station, competing with municipal and private stations such as FM Bagan, Cherry FM, City FM, Mandalay FM, Padamyar FM, Pyinsawaddy FM and Shwe FM.
There are four main state-run newspapers – Kyemon, Myanma Alin, New Light of Myanmar and The Yadanabon. Sixteen private newspapers were granted publishing licences in 2012, but only four managed to launch in 2013: Union Daily, Voice Daily, Golden Fresh Land and The Standard Time Daily.
19.3% of the population had access to the internet in 2016.
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