SPH's Zaobao inks content and advertising deal with StarHub

Zaobao Keywords,  a video news programme of Lianhe Zaobao, the Chinese flagship newspaper of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), will be aired on StarHub’s FreeView Chinese channel E City.The broadcast of Zaobao Keywords on StarHub’s channel is a joint initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between SPH and StarHub on 7 March 2016. Under this MOU, the two companies will collaborate in areas of advertising sales, creation and carriage of content, data analytics and marketing.Zaobao Keywords is a three-minute talk show that provides viewers with a deeper understanding of major news stories through keywords. Three keywords that are pertinent to the day’s news story are selected by an experienced Lianhe Zaobao journalist and discussed in a casual chat format between the host and the journalist.The programme, launched in November 2014 on Zaobao’s digital platform, is produced by CMG Digital (CMGD), the digital arm of SPH’s Chinese Media Group, exclusively for Lianhe Zaobao. By drawing on the expertise of journalists to present hard news in an easy-to-digest short video format, CMGD aims to capture the attention of audiences who are always on the go, or who wish to get a grasp of daily news highlights without spending too much time.Han Yong May, digital editor of SPH's Chinese Media Group cum associate editor of Lianhe Zaobao, said: "The debut of Zaobao Keywords on StarHub’s E City Channel marks another step forward for SPH’s Chinese Media Group in the digital world. Journalists have made the transition from print to digital. Producing videos is now part and parcel of our work in the newsroom as journalists have gradually grown accustomed to straddling across print and digital.”Lee Soo Hui, Head of StarHub’s Media Business Unit, said: “Zaobao Keywords is not only a convenient way for viewers to be up-to-date on key issues, but it also innovatively helps them to grasp these issues through the use of keywords and phrases. We definitely see value in adding this programme to our line-up. That’s why we have chosen to air it over E City, the popular StarHub-packaged Chinese entertainment channel that can be accessed by virtually all TV households in Singapore.”“The airing of Zaobao Keywords is a key beginning of more collaborations to come between StarHub and SPH. StarHub has always been on the lookout for content packaged for Singaporean viewers in mind, as localised content lends greater relevance to them. SPH has a valuable resource in its pool of experienced editorial team, and our viewers will surely benefit from having easy access to their views going forward,” added Lee.