The Star/ANN
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia—In a historic move, four national newspapers in Southeast Asia have joined forces to give readers stories from each country on a single platform.
Consumers will get in-depth news, written with a local perspective, from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines under one ePaper subscription.
With the CIMB Group as its official partner, the collaboration offers readers full-access to Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines), The Star (Malaysia), The Jakarta Post (Indonesia), and The Nation (Thailand).
The Star’s group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai said this effort was an unprecedented step in the realm of newspaper media.
“It is an opportunity for readers to widen their knowledge and know their neighbors on a more meaningful level,” he said during the launching of the CIMB-Asean ePaper Collaboration at Menara Star here Friday.
“Beyond editorial collaborations, members can capitalize on expertise and media positions to generate greater revenue for all. This can be via cross-media sales among others, while at the same time leveraging on regional brand opportunities,” Wong added.
CIMB Group chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak said the initiative was smart as it would reach out to 450 million out of the 600 million people living in Asean.
“I hope this collaboration will even go beyond Asean in future,” he said.
Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Herman Prayitno believed in the media’s power to disseminate messages to other countries, especially in light of events like the missing MH370.
The CIMB-Asean ePaper offer will be available from April 1.
The ASEAN-CIMB epaper bundle will be available from April 1 for P5,200/year from the Inquirer e-paper website. Existing e-paper subscribers to the Philippine Daily Inquirer will also enjoy access to the regional titles.