SPH

SPH Media on Monday (Jan 9) said it has found inconsistencies in its circulation data, following a review of internal processes.

“MCI will undertake our own review to determine if these inconsistencies in circulation data affect the decision to fund, and the amount the Government ...

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“As the organisation embarked on a new chapter, SPH Media initiated a review on internal processes in March 2022, including the reporting of circulation data.

Wong will pass the baton of editor of The Business Times on to Chen Huifen. “As the organisation embarked on a new chapter, SPH Media initiated a review on internal processes in March 2022, including the reporting of circulation data. Wee's appointment came less than half a year after he took on the role of [article on ](https://www.marketing-interactive.com/sph-media-finds-inconsistencies-in-circulation-figures-following-an-internal-review)The Straits Times said that discrepancy was of 10 to 12% which is around 85,000 to 95,000 daily average copies across all titles. Succeeding him is Wong Wei Kong who takes over as editor-in-chief of the EMTM Group, and Jaime Ho, who will join SPH Media, and assume the role of editor of ST. According to the company, these inconsistencies include subscription contracts.

Several senior employees have either been "taken to task", or left the company.

MCI expects SPH Media to fully cooperate with our review." "MCI has asked SPH Media to share its full findings and has recently received SPH Media’s internal report on the matter," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson added: "MCI will undertake our own review to determine if these inconsistencies in circulation data affect the decision to fund, and the amount the Government committed to fund SPH Media. An internal review of internal processes, including the reporting of circulation data, was conducted in March 2022, and "some inconsistencies in the reporting of the data were discovered," ST cited the SPH Media spokesperson saying. The SPH Media spokesperson said the company has "immediately taken steps to strengthen processes", adding that the staff involved had either been taken to task or had left the organisation. [The Straits Times](https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/senior-sph-media-staff-taken-to-task-or-have-left-company-after-review-finds-issues-with-circulation-data) (ST) cited an SPH Media spokesperson as saying.

SINGAPORE — It has been reported that several senior employees of SPH Media have been taken to task or left the company due to issues linked to the ...

In fact it would be a dereliction of the President’s duties and responsibilities if she does not convene a COI in such circumstances.” S Iswaran said the readership of SPH had increased 5% from 2017 to 2020.” “Singaporeans were asked to support a media which could not sustain itself despite its monopolistic position. “The profitable property arm of SPH which had assets close to $4 Billion and which generated revenue of reportedly around $300 million a year was sold off. He also said the local media needed to “foster” trust with the local population in order for government to function well. She said it was critical for a multicultural and multiracial society such as Singapore.”

Circulation numbers were found to be inflated by 10-12%; senior staff taken to task.

On a parallel note, it is a good time for Audit Bureau of Circulation Singapore, to review it’s audit protocol to prevent such instances from occurring in the future." In absence of any such language in the trading agreements, there is very little legal recourse to recovery. "Publicis Media evaluates cost efficiencies using readership data from third-party verified research providers, such as Nielsen Consumer Media View, as it is a better representation of reach due to the pass-on nature of print media," Poh tells Campaign Asia-Pacific. "The environment of eroding readership compounded with the erosion of trust has a potential risk to seriously impact advertiser confidence in investing in SPH titles," says Somanathan, who is the former CEO for Singapore and Malaysia at Omnicom Media Group. According to Agreeing, Ben Poole, the head of office at 55, adds that this relationship is especially important for a medium that is fighting to retain its share of spend.

The SPH Media spokesperson also shared that a project account was injected with additional funding over a period of time to purchase fictitious circulation. “ ...

In fact it would be a dereliction of the President’s duties and responsibilities if she does not convene a COI in such circumstances.” S Iswaran said the readership of SPH had increased 5% from 2017 to 2020.” “The profitable property arm of SPH which had assets close to $4 Billion and which generated revenue of reportedly around $300 million a year was sold off. “Singaporeans were asked to support a media which could not sustain itself despite its monopolistic position. He also said the local media needed to “foster” trust with the local population in order for government to function well. She said it was critical for a multicultural and multiracial society such as Singapore.” Our local news media provide a vital Singaporean lens through which citizens can make sense of global events,” she explained the reasons for supporting SMT. The figure of $900 million is almost 1/3 of what the government will collect each year from a 2% hike in GST. They include ST and The Business Times, as well as Lianhe Zaobao, Shin Min Daily News, Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu. He added, “Josephine Teo said that the government had to provide “meaningful” financial support for SMT the Ensure the viability of the local media as Singaporeans needed a local lens to view International news. He wrote, “it should be remembered that what is now SMT was previously the media arm of SPH, which was a loss-making operation, despite the fact that it had a monopolistic position as far as print media is concerned in Singapore.” Straits Times (ST), which is also a publication under SPH Media or SPH Media Trust (SMT), had earlier that some inconsistencies in the reporting of the data were discovered during a review of internal processes in March 2022 which looked at a period from September 2020 to March 2022.

SINGAPORE — The operator of Singapore's stock market, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) Group, is reviewing SPH Media's circulation information, following news ...

The period of review covered the period from September 2020 to March 2022. Strict rules relate to the timely release of material information so that investors can make informed decisions about buying shares. SPH itself has since been renamed Cuscaden Peak Investments with a focus on property-related investments. In the context of the stock market and laws relating the governance of listed companies, "material" information refers to information that is likely to affect a company's share price. SINGAPORE — The regulator and operator of Singapore's stock market, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) Group, is reviewing SPH Media’s circulation information, following news that the organisation inflated the circulation numbers of its publications by 10 to 12 per cent. SINGAPORE — The regulator and operator of Singapore's stock market, the Singapore Exchange (SGX) Group, is reviewing SPH Media’s circulation information, following news that the organisation

Mr Wong Wei Kong, editor-in-chief of SPH Media's English/Malay/Tamil Media group, said it was painful but necessary to reveal that the circulation figures ...

Even with this, we’ll be getting a lot of stick going forward, and more things may come out, and we know how it will be.” He did not elaborate on his basis for suggesting this or what sort of matters he had in mind that may be yet to emerge. This affected us materially, and within EMTM, both ST and BT (The Business Times) rebased our figures. Advertisement [circulation numbers of SPH Media titles](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/sph-media-circulation-numbers-inflated-internal-review-3192741), which include The Straits Times (ST) and Lianhe Zaobao, that have been "rebased" will “now bear up to scrutiny”, Mr Wong added. - He added that the company has "taken a blow to our reputation and credibility, the values that drive a news organisation”

Circulation numbers were found to be inflated by 10-12%; senior staff taken to task.

On a parallel note, it is a good time for Audit Bureau of Circulation Singapore, to review it’s audit protocol to prevent such instances from occurring in the future." In absence of any such language in the trading agreements, there is very little legal recourse to recovery. "Publicis Media evaluates cost efficiencies using readership data from third-party verified research providers, such as Nielsen Consumer Media View, as it is a better representation of reach due to the pass-on nature of print media," Poh tells Campaign Asia-Pacific. "The environment of eroding readership compounded with the erosion of trust has a potential risk to seriously impact advertiser confidence in investing in SPH titles," says Somanathan, who is the former CEO for Singapore and Malaysia at Omnicom Media Group. According to Agreeing, Ben Poole, the head of office at 55, adds that this relationship is especially important for a medium that is fighting to retain its share of spend.

Ms Teo Lay Lim wrote to advertisers following news that an internal review had found inconsistencies in circulation data. Read more at straitstimes.com.

He said: “We will have to get through this together, but knowing that it is part of the journey to put things right. However, with the rebasing and the steps taken, it is important to note that the numbers we are reporting now will bear up to scrutiny.” Mr Wong said that even as the review was in progress, “we rebased our numbers, once it (was) clear the historical bases may be inaccurate”. The review period reached back to before SPH Media became a new company, he said. There is no choice – we cannot possibly continue reporting numbers that would now be questioned. She said: “This data is obtained from and verified by independent third-party research agencies, namely GfK.”

SINGAPORE — Advertisers of SPH Media were told that advertising rates offered by the media group are not based on circulation data but independent ...

MCI expects SPH Media to fully cooperate with our review,” said the spokesperson. “This allows MCI to track their progress and for the Government to help achieve its desired outcomes when necessary.” The media publications of the former Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) were incorporated as SMT, a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG), on 19 July 2021 after being cut off from SPH due to its declining revenue. He said: “We will have to get through this together, but knowing that it is part of the journey to put things right. However, with the rebasing and the steps taken, it is important to note that the numbers we are reporting now will bear up to scrutiny.” Mr Wong said that even as the review was in progress, “we rebased our numbers, once it (was) clear the historical bases may be inaccurate”. SPH was subsequently delisted in May 2022 after the restructuring. A project account was also injected with additional funding over a period of time to purchase fictitious circulation. The review period reached back to before SPH Media became a new company, he said. Responding to media queries, a Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) spokesperson said the ministry has asked SPH Media to share its full findings and has recently received SPH Media’s internal report on the matter. There is no choice – we cannot possibly continue reporting numbers that would now be questioned. “Our media rates and advertising packages are based on reach and readership of individual titles, and our SPH Media solutions as a whole,” she wrote.

by Joseph Nathan. When news broke yesterday that three senior executives at SPH Media have been inflating its circulation data, the whole saga very quickly ...

So the challenge is, can the PAP politicians implicated by this scandal be able to show their impartialities and put the interest of Singapore and the laws above those of their party? The ball is now in the court of the PAP-led parliamentarians and if nothing is done decisively, then this whole scandal will cause the PAP-led government to lose its integrity and credibility. In this aspect, the senior executives, past and present, must be held responsible and be charged so that the message is clear – Singapore will not tolerate or allow anyone or any entity to make a mockery of our country, our parliament or our government. It will be interesting to see if Mr K Shanmugam, the Minister for Home Affairs, will have the moral courage and integrity to put the law above the interest of his party by bringing all those responsible for this crime and those who condoned or tried to conceal it to court. For Mrs Teo, she will have to also address how SPH is going to compensate advertisers who have been cheated, including the government of Singapore, as it does not make sense for SPH Media to own up while the government dip into our reserves to help SPH pay for its financial damages, penalties and liabilities. It is very probable that inflating the circulation data may well be just a part of a wider scandal, and it is best for Singaporeans to brace themselves for more bad news to come.