The Impact of Digital Skills on the Usage of OTT Media in Malaysian Public Broadcasting

Abstract

Public broadcasting in Malaysia known as RTM is the oldest broadcasting at 78 years old and challenged with competition from private stations in terms of content and technology. Global OTT (over the top) services have entered the Malaysian market since 2016 and RTM must ensure that public broadcasting services remain relevant. The establishment of OTT RTMKlik as the third broadcast is to meet the needs of the audience that have become increasingly keen on digital platforms. This study used the Digitalisation Gap Theory to look at the influence of digital skills on the use of OTT RTMKlik media. The aim of this study was to identify RTMKlik audience profiles by comparing digital skills based on gender demographic factors, age, level of education as well as looking at the relationship between OTT RTMKlik media use. Data was collected through surveys using a simple combination of random sampling and a total of 571 respondents throughout Malaysia participated in this study. The study analysed data descriptively using SPSS version 28 and also used one-way T tests and ANOVA to test four hypotheses formed on the basis of theory and literature review. The results of this study revealed that the level of education makes a significant difference to the digital skills of RTMKlik users and the relationship of digital skills with the digital usage studied reached a moderate level.