| The media have played a central role in Taiwan’s development, their proliferation and diversity offering opportunity for political debate and cultural creativity. The vigorous press has benefited from a free media environment, as attested by the Freedom of the Press 2009 survey.
Taiwan has a flourishing publishing industry that releases over 40,000 new titles each year. Its annual Taipei International Book Exhibition attracts hundreds of publishers from around the world, serving as a channel for market information exchange and copyright transaction. There is intense competition among its four major general-interest newspapers, which already face an uphill battle against the Internet, with a steady decline in penetration rate and advertising revenue.
Five analog terrestrial television stations, including the non-profit Public Television Service—and in certain areas, a parallel terrestrial digital television platform with extensions of these channels—reach virtually every household in Taiwan. In addition, cable television programming is available throughout all but the most mountainous areas of the island, usually in a package of nearly 90 analog channels. Taiwanese films have recently begun to enjoy domestic commercial success with the emergence of a new generation of directors, after having won several prizes and much acclaim at international film festivals over the years.
Media Profile (May 2009)
Radio stations: 174
Terrestrial (wireless) television stations: 5
Cable television system operators: 64
TV & radio program production/distribution companies: 6,794
Audio (compact disc, etc.) production companies: 7,602
Satellite broadcasting program providers: 98 (216 channels)
Newspapers: 2,039
Magazines: 5,883
Book publishers: 10,178
Foreign media with correspondents in Taiwan: 76 (June 2009)
A wide selection of media outlets and a ubiquitous press presence are the legacy of media deregulation in Taiwan starting in the late 1980s. (Jimmy Lin) |
