Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Limited was incorporated on 4 August 1984 as a new holding company to effect the merger of Times Publishing Berhad, The Straits Times Press (1975) Limited, Singapore News and Publications Limited and Singapore Newspaper Services Pte Ltd.[1] The merger, which was completed on 30 November that same year,[2] was initiated primarily to cut cost generated from wasteful competition and duplication of resources.[3] In 1988, Times Publishing Limited became a separate company,[4] and was later acquired by the Fraser & Neave Group in 2000.[5]
Today, SPH publishes 19 newspapers across four languages – including major dailies such as The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao – giving it a virtual monopoly over the newspaper publishing industry in Singapore.[6]
In addition to its stable of newspapers, the company has a book publishing arm[7] and a portfolio of some 100 periodicals,[8] including magazines such as Her World, Nuyou, Men’s Health, Home & Décor and Young Parents.[9] In addition, the company holds a 40 percent stake in MediaCorp Press Ltd, which publishes the free newspaper, Today.[10]
Apart from print media, SPH has also launched a number of online and new media products and services such as AsiaOne, a free news and infotainment website;[11] ST701, an online classifieds;[12] Stomp, a citizen-journalism website;[13] omy.sg, a bilingual news and interactive portal; and The Straits Times RazorTV, a free webcast service that offers video on-demand clips.[14]
SPH also owns a 20 percent share in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates Channels 5, 8, and U. Through SPHUnion Works Pte Ltd, SPH operates three radio stations – Mandarin station UFM 100.3 and English stations HOT FM 91.3 and Kiss92.[15] Aside from the media industry, SPH’s interests include events management and outdoor media[16] and property investment through the ownership of the Paragon shopping mall on Orchard Road and upmarket residential development Sky@eleven, among others.[17]
The SPH Media Centre at Genting Lane and its Print Centre at Jurong are responsible for printing all of SPH’s newspapers, as well as other non-SPH newspapers such as the Asashi Shimbun, Nihon Keisai and the International Herald Tribune.[18]
References
1. Singapore Press Holdings. (1986). 1985, the first annual report (p. 8). Singapore: Singapore Press Holdings. Call no.: RCLOS 338.7610705095957 SPHAR-[AR].
2. Singapore Press Holdings, 1986, p. 3; Singapore Press Holdings Limited: Final statement and dividend announcement. (1985, November 30). The Straits Times, p. 41. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Times Publishing Group. (2009). About Us. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from Times Publishing Group website: http://www.tpl.com.sg/about_us_majormilestones_2.asp; Chow, J. (1984, October 5). Market watchers on the big newspaper merger. Singapore Monitor, p. 12; See it in the light of our population, says Raja. (1984, July 16). The Straits Times, p. 10; Have no fear, Teng Cheong tells newsmen. (1984, July 19). The Straits Times, p. 44. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from NewspaperSG.
4. One Times Pub share for every two SPH units. (1988, October 11). The Straits Times, p. 23; SPH plan to hive off subsidiary gets approval. (1988, November 3). The Straits Times, p. 29. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. Fraser and Neave Limited. (2000). Annual report & statement of accounts 2000 (p. 35). Singapore: Fraser and Neave. Call no.: RCLOS 338.7663 FNSARS-[AR]; F&N owns 87.5% of Times Pub. (2000, June 20). The Straits Times, p. 65; CPL, Times Pub delisting today. (2002, March 8). The Business Times, p.4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Singapore Press Holdings. (2013). Annual report 2013 (p. [i]). Retrieved February 21, 2014, from Singapore Press Holdings website: http://www.sph.com.sg/system/misc/annualreport/2013/SPH_AR2013.pdf
7. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p. 2.
8. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p. 2.
9. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p. 3.
10. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p. [i].
11. Singapore Press Holdings. (2014). About Us. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from AsiaOne website: http://www.asiaone.com/html/aboutus.html
12. Singapore Press Holdings. (2011). About Us. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from ST701 website: http://www.st701.com/about-us/
13. Singapore Press Holdings. (2014). About Us. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from Stomp website: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/about-us
14. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p. [i].
15. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p. 3.
16. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p. 2.
17. Singapore Press Holdings, 2013, p 3.
18. Tan, D. (2008, August 21). SPH unveils new printing press at Media Centre. The Business Times, p. 6; Wong, W. K. (2007, January 10). SPH to invest $48m upgrading second printing plant. The Business Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.