Digital media
Most major print publications in Myanmar have a web version, however there is a heavy focus on social media. As such, some of the most popular outlets such as Voice and 7-Day offer paid sponsorship opportunities to advertisers for content native to the Facebook platform. This could include sponsoring a segment by a famed astrologer, or meteorologist. They also offer straight-up ad slots, in an arrangement made outside of Facebook’s own advertising platform. One major publication offers businesses the opportunity to have their Facebook page tagged ‘with’ in a news post for $400 a hit. Facebook’s importance as a news source is manifestly demonstrated by a glance at the list of the top-ten most popular Facebook pages in the country: 7 Day, Eleven, BBC Burmese, Irrawaddy Burmese, VOA Burmese, Mizzima Burmese, MRTV-4 and DVB TV all make the list, and all are news outlets. The most popular brands are Telenor, MPT and Ooredoo.
Websites typically host the content from the print version, as well as an accessible PDF of that day or week’s journal. Specific pieces are written for web in the event of breaking news. Pushing content through to Facebook feeds is given high priority.
Live streaming of events, even government press conferences, is common. Search engine optimisation faces barriers due to font integration and basic challenges to the algorithm with the Burmese language.
As mentioned elsewhere in this report, there are news ‘sites’ which are exclusive to the Facebook platform. These are often local-level, but may still attract advertisers — again, entirely outside of Facebook’s native advertising platform.