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Mass Media
A couple peruses magazines and bestsellers at Eslite Bookstore, one of the largest bookstore chains in Taiwan. (Jimmy Lin)The media have played an essential role in Taiwan’s development; their proliferation and diversity offer abundant opportunities for political debate and cultural creativity. The vigorous press has also benefited from a free media environment as evidenced by the fact that Taiwan’s media environment is one of the freest in Asia.
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 the island’s four major 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 nonprofit 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 approximately 100 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 (June 2011)
Radio stations: 171
Terrestrial television stations: 5
Cable television system operators: 62
TV and radio program production/distribution companies: 7,160
Audio (compact disc, etc.) production companies: 10,098
Satellite broadcasting program providers: 107 (281 channels)
Newspapers publishers: 2,156
Magazines publishers: 8,122
Book publishers: 13,257
News agencies: 1,886
A Public Television Service (PTS) satellite truck relays a live news story in Taipei. PTS launched Taiwan’s first high-definition television channel in May 2008. (Courtesy of PTS)
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