Digital content promotion in South East Asia: government strategies for a new economic sector

Abstract

ABSTRACTDigital content production – the production of ideas, words, images, videos, animation or other commercially valuable information for distribution through digital means – has emerged in recent years as a major economic sector. The content industry, however, does not fit easily with either national industrial policies or national innovation strategies, the two means governments use to promote economic development. Content policy is often equated with cultural production and so is aligned with heritage and culture programmes. This article examines the strategies of course jurisdictions – Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong – and reviews their efforts to build the digital content economy.