Advertising growing at 20% per year in Myanmar

If you heard about an advertising market in the world that is increasing 20% every year over the last 5 years, you would say “where is it” and “how can we have a piece of it?”

That’s exactly what is happening in Myanmar, the location of this year’s RadioAsia conference

Since the military junta was dissolved in 2011, Myanmar is now focusing on improving the country’s media offerings, which starts with introducing new broadcast laws in the next several months.

These new broadcast laws will allow independent companies to bid for licenses, moving away from the traditional government joint broadcast ventures. 

There could be as many as 57 interested parties who want one of the new licenses, which will give companies a 7 year broadcast lease.

Russell Darrell is an Australian radio consultant who has over 20 years experience in south-east Asia, helping establish a number of stations in Thailand.  He is now living in Yangon, and is helping the government introduce these new laws and work with potential new licensees.

Russell has told radioinfo that it will be great for this country, allowing well establish international media companies to begin broadcasting in Myanmar.

“The challenge will be catering for the many different language dialects that exist in Myanmar,”  he says.  Cherry FM, a current broadcaster, has 21 stations in Myanmar all broadcasting different Myanmar languages.

The draft broadcast laws also include restrictions and targets on content.  “From what I have seen of the laws, and they may have changed since the draft I saw, stations will have to provide 70% local content.”

Like most countries in the region, including China, Myanmar radio has always been about block programming, with stations offering a mixed bag of content for listeners.  With the relaxation of government control, and new broadcast laws and licensees, it won’t take long for format radio to come to Myanmar.

Read further reports from the Radio Asia Conference on our other radio site AsiaRadioToday.
 

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