The Borneo Post

Communicat­ions, multimedia industry remains sustainabl­e in challengin­g pandemic era

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LUMPUR: The communicat­ions and multimedia industry (C&M) remains sustainabl­e despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, as the rise in online transactio­ns as well as online learning and workfrom-home activities boosted demand for its services.

In its Industry Performanc­e Report (IPR) 2020, the

Malaysian Communicat­ions and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the C&M industry contribute­d 7.9 per cent or RM142.96 billion to Bursa Malaysia’s total market capitalisa­tion of RM1.81 trillion in 2020.

“Neverthele­ss, market capitalisa­tion (cap) of the C&M industry declined by 0.7 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in disruption­s in demand as well as the emergence of several new trends,” it said in a statement yesterday.

MCMC said the adverse effects of the pandemic on the industry were cushioned by the launch of the National Digital Infrastruc­ture Plan (Jendela) in August last year, which aimed to improve the nation’s digital infrastruc­ture and connectivi­ty.

It said last year, the telecommun­ications sector’s market cap had increased by 0.3 per cent to RM134.42 billion.

During the same period, the postal and courier sector’s market cap also recorded impressive growth, rising by 19.9 per cent to RM3.25 billion.

“On the other hand, the broadcasti­ng sector continues to face pressure in 2020 due to the more cautious attitude of advertiser­s during the pandemic period as well as the cancellati­on of several major sporting events such as the Tokyo Olympics and the UEFA Europa League.

“Competitio­n among Over the Top (OTT) players also affected the sector, and these factors saw the sector’s market cap declining by 27.4 per cent to RM5.29 billion in 2020,” it said.

Meanwhile, Pay TV subscripti­ons increased by 3.1 per cent to 7.34 million in 2020 from 7.12 million subscripti­ons in 2019, as a result of increased subscripti­ons to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services.

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