New S'pore tabloid faces tough fight

New S'pore tabloid faces tough fight

SINGAPORE (Reuters): A new English-language newspaper hits
Singapore's streets on Friday, but analysts say the Today free
tabloid will find it hard to dent the dominance of incumbent
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).

Aimed at the city state's commuters, Today will provide a
fresh perspective and cheaper advertising, Ernest Wong, chief
executive officer of its publisher, state-owned MediaCorp of
Singapore (MCS), said on Thursday.

But an analyst at a local research house questioned whether
its target readership of train commuters and housewives would
appeal to advertisers.

"In media, it's not just the number of readers but also the
quality of readers," the analyst said.

The government granted MCS a newspaper license and in turn
allowed SPH to broadcast free-to-air television over two channels
and granted it two radio licenses.