Fahmi: RM30mil fund to boost local media ecosystem

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 9, 2026

Malaysia’s Communications Ministry has allocated RM30 million through the Media Innovation Fund to help local media organizations upgrade their infrastructure and adapt to declining traditional advertising revenues amid digital disruption. The fund supports projects up to RM300,000 aimed at enhancing skills, technology, and content innovation to sustain the domestic media landscape against growing competition from foreign digital platforms.

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s local media industry is set to benefit from a RM30 million fund aimed at supporting its adaptation to changing advertising trends and evolving audience demographics, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil announced.

The Media Innovation Fund, introduced last year and still open for applications, is designed to help both mainstream and online media organisations upgrade their infrastructure and services. To qualify, applicants must be registered with the Information Department (Japen) and hold a valid Media Accreditation Card (e-Media Kad) issued by the same department.

During an appearance on the Jangan Kecam podcast hosted by Nazz Abdullah, Fahmi highlighted that several government bodies, including the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), have been tasked with assisting eligible media companies in accessing the fund.

The minister emphasized the profound impact of digital disruption on the media landscape. As consumer habits shift from traditional television and print to mobile devices, annual spending on traditional advertising has declined significantly, dropping from an estimated RM4 billion to RM4.5 billion in previous years down to about RM2 billion currently. Much of the advertising revenue is now diverted to international social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

This reduction in revenue has placed financial strain on local television, radio, and print outlets, challenging their long-term sustainability. Fahmi stressed the importance of maintaining robust domestic media outlets that function independently of foreign digital platforms. “Is it wise to have all our content on Facebook and TikTok? Not necessarily, because these are foreign platforms, not ours. If they decide one day to change their policies or shut down, we could lose those channels of communication,” he said.

The Media Innovation Fund seeks to address these concerns by enabling local media organisations to modernize operations and better engage younger audiences, including Generation Z and Generation Alpha. Grants of up to RM300,000 per project are available to support skills training, acquisition of software licenses, equipment purchases, and research into innovative, technology-driven content development, including work involving artificial intelligence.

As part of the Communications Ministry’s broader strategy to strengthen Malaysia’s media sector, the fund aims to foster competitiveness and sustainability amid the ongoing digital transformation.

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