Abstract

• Worldwide, coronavirus is a major respiratory disease that causes severe illness and high death rates. Since its 2019 emergence, it has also been known as COVID-19. The impacts of COVID-19 were devastating to the global economy, causing a financial crisis as well as challenges in the fields of education, healthcare, construction, tourism, and even the media. In March 2020, Myanmar reported its initial case of COVID 19, and as a result, the print and broadcast media industries were among the worst affected since they lost all of their advertising opportunities, television programs, and newspaper distribution due to COVID-19. Furthermore, COVID-19 had serious negative impacts on the television industry as a whole as well as its employees in different ways. This study analyzes the specific challenges and mental health problems faced by television industry employees during the pandemic period. It also examines the impact of production halts, job insecurity, remote working constraints, health-related anxieties, and financial instability on television employees. According to the findings, 80% of the employees from the television sector were infected with the disease. As the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of employees lost their primary jobs and regular income due to the financial crisis in the sector. The findings also point out increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, exacerbated by long working hours, social isolation, and the pressure to meet content demands under restrictive conditions. Therefore, this study suggests raising awareness and promoting actionable strategies for crisis management in the television industry.