Movement Restrictions Are Driving TV Viewing, But Malaysia’s Marketers Must Adapt To Take Full Advantage

As has been the case around the globe, restricted living amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected every aspect of daily life. It has also had a dramatic effect on media consumption, especially television viewing. In Malaysia, the Movement Control Order (MCO) has sparked an average 30% rise in TV viewers since enacted. While the rise would be expected given the lockdown, viewership data highlights that the restricted living conditions have altered the viewing behaviors of some consumers more than others.

MCO 对电视收视率的影响最大的是在 COVID-19 之前电视收视率较低的消费者。在《市场管制条例》实施前，中度观众（每天收看 8-16 小时的观众）和轻度观众（每天收看 0-8 小时的观众）之间的比例相当均衡，分别为 49% 和 44%。到 4 月 12 日，这一比例已变为 58%和 32%，实际上有相当一部分观众已过渡到中等观众类别。这一变化导致每天平均收看电视的时间从《媒介合作条例》之前的 5 小时 36 分钟上升到 7 小时 7 分钟。

To look at it in a more simplistic way, at the end of January, the population was viewing a daily total of around 29 million hours of television. 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.  While we expected a rise in viewing as more people tune in to television to stay informed as well as to stave off boredom, we are surprised by the extent of the increase, which has surpassed viewing levels seen before the recent digital revolution.

While these unprecedented increases are enjoyed by all broadcasters, the uplift by genre changes, and like during a normal week, they can fluctuate on a day-to-day basis, influenced by the programming schedule. Although the rakyat is thirsty for information, it’s not just news which has benefitted, as significant uplifts are also seen for Reality TV and Cookery & Female Orientated shows.

"我们可以很自然地认为，一旦解除《移动电视管制条例》，人们就会渴望体验家庭以外的生活，这可能会影响收视率的可持续性。尼尔森媒体（马来西亚）董事总经理 Jon-Paul Best 说："为了保持观众的收视兴趣，广播公司必须尽快制作新的节目并在屏幕上播出，因为许多广播公司在 MCO 期间已经耗尽了节目内容。

我们可以很自然地认为，一旦取消了 MCO，人们就会渴望体验家庭以外的生活，这可能会影响收视率的可持续性。为了保持观众的兴趣，广播公司必须尽快制作新的节目并在屏幕上播出，因为许多广播公司在 MCO 期间已经耗尽了节目内容。

尼尔森媒体（马来西亚）董事总经理 Jon-Paul Best

广告商需要投资和创新

在收视率大幅飙升的同时，广告商也在缩减广告投放，2 月至 3 月电视广告总支出下降 8%就是明证。虽然总体数字看起来并不太剧烈，但与去年同期相比，同类广告支出下降了约 25%，某些行业受到的冲击更大，包括旅游和观光业、快餐业、娱乐业、航空公司和百货公司。 

"贝斯特说："如果消费者的购买力受到严重限制，一些企业就会质疑此时做广告的好处。"然而，由于超市仍在营业，而且快速消费品品牌是一些最大的广告客户，我们认为现在是投资于所有主要媒体平台的时候了，因为此时消费者最关注并寻求共鸣。对于那些仍在销售的产品和服务，消费者需要保证，因此企业应继续参与，确保其品牌和产品保持相关性。