In Malaysia, television is divided among the FTA (Free-to-air) and satellite television channels. The former is operated by 2 major companies which are RTM (Radio Televisyen Malaysia) owned by the Malaysian government and Media Prima Berhad, a private company.
Major TV media owners in Malaysia
RTM operates TV1 and TV2 as well as several other state-based channels while Media Prima operates TV3, NTV7, 8TV and Channel 9. These channels are available for free viewing around the country. A recent addition to this is IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) services which is operated by national telecommunications company Telekom Malaysia.
Satellite TV changing the landscape
Satellite television on the other hand is operated and owned by Astro which airs more than 100 different channels catered to specific target audiences. Apart from airing internationally known channels like ESPN, HBO and Disney, Astro develops their own content and operates their own set of channels as well.
Meanwhile, the TM-operated IPTV services known as HyppTV offer more than 30 different channels through its internet-based services with more players entering the market in the near future.
With such a vibrant market for television viewers and media owners, it has created a highly competitive and challenging advertising scenario in this sector. Advertisers are have too many choices in terms of channels which makes it difficult to decide where an ad could be placed.
Tips on advertising on TV
How then should you consider advertising on TV in Malaysia? What are your options and how should you address them? Below are some ideas:
- Target audience – If you are planning to advertise on television, cost might not be so much of a concern as it is among the costliest media. The most important factor that you need to consider first is your target audience. If your brand is targeted to the urban and city dwellers, then you should be looking at the satellite and IPTV channels. However, if your brand is more focused on the rural community, then the FTA channels would be most appropriate.
- Category – The category in which the channel fall into will only be decided once you have determined the target audience which will then help you to decide on the channel that your ad should appear. You will mostly see sports brands and men products appearing in the likes of ESPN and Starsports while products for the urban and younger groups will usually be placed in channels like MTV and Star World.
- Focus – One of the best things about advertising in satellite television is that it can be much focused because each channel is catered to a specific group of viewers. You can easily identify the target profile of each channel which can then be specifically catered to your brand. On the other hand, this can only be achieved in FTA channels in terms of time slots which are more limited and restricted.
