2020 Singapore Media Landscape Highlights
Overview
Singapore’s media scene was a hive of activity during the circuit breaker period in the first half of 2020. From April to June, the government enforced movement restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19. Acting as a main source of information, the media was heavily relied upon for news on the outbreak and public service announcements on safe distancing and hygiene measures.
News websites and channels saw a spike in viewership during this period when more people wanted to be kept updated on the developing situation. According to a Comscore study on the impact of COVID-19 on digital media consumption last April, news websites saw an up to 36% increase in engagement from January to February 2020 – when the news of the pandemic erupted in the Republic.
Data from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) showed a 73% increase in viewership across state broadcaster MediaCorp’s channels in vernacular languages during March 1 to April 15, as compared to the same period in 2019.
Leading news channel CNA (Channel News Asia) received 52 million unique visitors last March – when the infection rates were on the rise. That was 4 times more than during the same period last year. When the authorities raised the DORSCON (Disease Outbreak Response System Condition) level to orange, the digital readership of local media giant Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) increased by four times to 2.5 million site visitors in last February.
Staff Cuts and Magazines Shut Down
The pandemic aggravated the financial health of some media companies, which have already witnessed declining advertising revenue in recent years. The added strain of COVID-19 meant that restructuring, pay-cuts and retrenchments were inevitable. Some media titles had to fold their print edition or entirely. SPH announced a round of retrenchment last August, cutting staff from its media sales and magazines operations. Locally, it also discontinued three magazine titles:
- Cleo – A young women’s magazine focusing on lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and entertainment news.
- Shape – An active lifestyle magazine targeting women audiences that focuses on health, fitness, nutrition, and beauty tips.
- Young Parents – A bi-monthly parenting magazine that provides information about education and enrichment advice, child development, and fun family activities in Singapore.
Another media company, Indochine Media Ventures underwent restructuring and let go five out of seven employees from its online luxury lifestyle publication, Buro Singapore.
2020 Key Developments
1. CNA’s Spotlight on Climate Change
With climate change becoming an existential threat to mankind, CNA is committed to enhance its coverage of the global issue. It has a dedicated ‘Climate Change’ section on its news portal, which features news, commentaries and documentary films on the effects, defences, and trade-offs of climate change across Asia. It covers topics ranging from innovations in alternative energy sources to green financing.
2. Podcasts Make a Comeback
The popularity of podcasts has come and gone through the years. With more people staying home, podcasts saw an uptick in listenership. Besides the ease of accessing digital content, listeners could tune in and dive into topics quickly while multitasking and going about their routines. A number of media outlets launched their podcast series amidst the pandemic. Podcasts are a great way for the media to keep their audiences engaged with more casual and intimate conversations. Besides, they are available on-demand and each episode can be downloaded immediately.
Here are a few podcast series that were launched last year:
CNA launched “The Climate Conversations” podcast series in August. Each episode is about 19 – 35 minutes long and focuses on the different aspects and perspectives of climate change.
- CNA – SG Covid Diaries
CNA launched the “SG Covid Diaries” podcast series in July. This series aims to capture a slice of life from the locals amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Each episode is about 9 – 14 minutes long.
- Marketing Interactive – Connected
Marketing Interactive launched the “Connected” podcast series in April. Each podcast focuses on interviewing inspiring individuals in Southeast-Asia’s marketing, advertising and media industry. Besides interviews with head honchos, the podcast also covers topics such as internal communications, media relations and OTT advertising.
- Adelaine Ng – Upon Arrival | Events & Incentives
“Upon Arrival” is a podcast series launched and hosted by Adelaine Ng, a travel-trade journalist based in Australia who also writes for B2B travel media group, TTG Asia. Launched in September, the podcast features interviews with a travel-trade industry expert sharing tips and strategies for professionals in tourism industry.
The Straits Times and The Business Times launched several podcast series including The Big Story, Editor Says, Health Check, Money Hacks and many more. Their podcast feature news analyses covering topics like financial tips, sports, healthy living, lifestyle and the environment.
3. Streaming Gains Steam
According to We Are Social’s Digital 2020 in Singapore report, watching videos through video streaming apps on the go is becoming more common. 75% of internet users actively use video and entertainment apps. Popular streaming service Netflix is the number one mobile app by consumer spend. BIGO Live, a live streaming app takes second place and VIU, Hong Kong-based video streaming app ranks fifth.
In Jan 2020, Mediacorp announced the rebranding of their digital services under the “me” umbrella. meWATCH is a digital platform where the audiences can access free on-demand shows, movies, news and sports programmes online and via its mobile app and website. They also offer subscription-based content which includes television programmes and movies from their partners. meLISTEN is a free digital audio platform where audiences can access live radio streams, podcasts and curated playlists.
READ MORE: 2021 Asia-Pacific Media Landscape Outlook
New Key Media Outlets
Internationally renowned fashion magazine Vogue launched its 27th international edition, Vogue Singapore, in September 2020. Vogue Singapore is published by Condé Nast under license by Indochine Media. They aim to be the most prominent and influential guide to fashion and will provide content that targets the Southeast Asia audience.
The business and investment weekly magazine, The Edge Singapore, launched a new magazine titled “WOMAN” in July 2020. The magazine features articles on the inspirational stories and successful entrepreneurial stories of women in Singapore.
Shortly after launching the “WOMAN” magazine, The Edge announced a new magazine titled “HAVEN” in December 2020. HAVEN will a magazine that showcases interior designs and architecture.
TheHomeGround Asia is an online platform that launched in October 2020. They cover a broad range of topics from lifestyle, esports and technology news to the latest events and stories about youths in Singapore and beyond.
2021 Outlook
The digital media space will continue to grow this year. Information consumption over digital platforms has risen due to the COVID-19 pandemic as most consumers have been working remotely last year.
Even major media players need to adapt. In November 2020, media giant Singapore Press Holdings stated that it will invest in the transformation of its media business. Last year, the group recorded a decline in both print advertising and print subscription revenue. The group’s print newspaper circulation dropped by 20% year-on-year, while digital circulation has grown 55.6%.
This has led to media companies boosting their digital presence to increase engagement with audiences. Last year, The Straits Times launched its Facebook Live series, The Big Story that features a roundup of the top news headlines for the day. Viewers can also leave questions and comments during the live stream. TODAY, an online news website that is targeted at millennials launched its live webinar series on Instagram, as part of its rebranding campaign to mark its 20th anniversary in 2020. The Instagram live webinar series touches on societal issues such as activism, cyber vigilantism, gender equality and mental health.
READ MORE: Singapore Media Landscape Highlights 2019: Prioritizing Audience Engagement and Multimedia Content
This is the second instalment of PR Newswire’s 2020 Asia-Pacific Media Landscape series. Our Audience Development team, which is based in 9 markets in APAC, gives an overview of media developments across the region.
For more information on receiving media insights, get in touch with us here.
This blog post is contributed by Stephanie Lau, Senior Audience Development Executive at PR Newswire. Stephanie leads PR Newswire’s audience development team in Singapore. She oversees media partnerships, media database and organizes media events and interviews. Connect with her via LinkedIn.
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