TV viewership rises as more stay at home during recession
By Cheryl Frois/Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 10 February 2009 1736 hrs

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SINGAPORE : More Singaporeans are turning to television as recession woes bite.

TV viewership numbers for news and variety channels have gone up as the full impact of recession sinks in.

"I save money by spending more hours watching TV instead of shopping around, spending money" said one viewer.

But the programming also helps with another stay-home Singaporean citing: "(I watch) Suria - all those local dramas."

This may spell bad news for some businesses. Food and beverage outlets and clubs in places like Clarke Quay have experienced a drop in profits by some 20 per cent.

Although shopper traffic has not fallen in shopping malls, two straight months of retail sales declines in October and November showed that Singaporeans are tightening their belts amid the worst recession in decades.

This translates to more people turning to other lower cost entertainment options.

Phillip Jones, regional director, Internet, TV & Radio Audience Measurement, TNS, said: "We would expect to see an upswing in viewership, it just depends on how big that upswing is."

In Singapore, Mandarin-language Channel 8's overall viewership ratings were up 5.4 per cent year-on-year, while Tamil-language channel, Vasantham, saw a 50 per cent increase in ratings since it became a standalone channel last October.

For Malay-language channel Suria, it has seen year-on-year ratings among Malay viewers go up by 12 per cent.

At Channel NewsAsia, overall ratings were up five per cent in 2008 year-on-year and have been steadily increasing in recent months.

Woon Tai Ho, managing director, News, MediaCorp, said: "News is the ultimate reality show, if you like. Everyday fresh developments - unemployment figures, what governments are doing around the world, what this government is doing. There are more people that are watching news because now, it is something that affects their lives directly."

With more eyeballs watching, industry analysts said this is the time advertisers should get more for their ad dollar.

Marcel Fenez, Global Entertainment & Media Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers, said: "We are going to see how brands are trying to move their spending to get closer to where the customer is, and if that is in the home right now, then obviously the media that touches them in the home right now would do comparatively better."

With more viewers turning to local channels as comfort food, broadcasters are making sure more shows are on their menu. - CNA/ms