FACT FOCUS
- Taiwan ranks second in Asia in the
2019 World Press Freedom Index
released by Reporters Without Borders.
- Smartphone ownership reached 92.8
percent in 2018.
The diversity of Taiwan’s media is reflected in the plethora of outlets
and intense competition within the industry. The nation’s press
operates in a media environment that is one of the freest in Asia.
Taiwan was ranked 42nd globally and second in Asia in the 2019
World Press Freedom Index released April 18 by France-based
Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In the survey of 180 countries
and territories, Taiwan trailed South Korea by one place, and
finished ahead of Japan, 67th; Hong Kong, 73rd; Singapore, 151st;
and China, 177th. Norway, Finland and Sweden topped the index,
in that order.
Most types of media are engaged in an industrywide transition to
digital forms of distribution.
Print editions of magazines and newspapers, including
the four major dailies, continue to lose ground to internet
competitors. Drawing on Taiwan’s strengths in information and
communication technologies, e-publishing is injecting fresh
vitality into their development as well as that of the local book
publishing industry, which released 39,114 new titles last year.
Taiwan boasts one of the freest media environments in Asia. (Huang Chung-hsin)
Digitization of cable television has not only significantly
improved the visual experience of viewers, but also unleashed
more innovative and diverse broadband services. With
digitization virtually completed, cable television has become an
important platform for various multimedia applications.