CENSORSHIP AS AN INSTRUMENT TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC INTEREST: THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

This article deliberates the conceptual framework for censorship as a powerful instrument to
protect the public interest in relation to over-the-top (OTT) streaming media content in
Malaysia. The transformation of technology has made the convergence of telecommunication
and broadcast networks seamless. Thus, the boundaries between the telecommunication and
broadcasting industries disappeared. This resulted in the viewers being able to watch the OTT
streaming media content on any type of devices. The success of OTT streaming media
services depends on audience’s gratification, which will subsequently lead to continued
subscription to these services. However, there are uncensored content accessible from OTT
streaming media players’ library that may lessen the viewers’ satisfaction. Thus, based on
the combination of Users and Gratification Theory (UGT) and Public Interest Theory,
Theory, the researcher developed a conceptual framework to study this phenomenon as a
guide to paths of research and offer the underpinning for establishing its reliability