Channel NewsAsia undergoes "most extensive upgrade"

Mediacorp’s Channel NewsAsia has launched a new website and apps for tablet and mobile devices. New features are being introduced in phases, the first being a more intuitive design to make searching for content easier, said the company in a press statement.This includes a compacted view with fewer images for faster and low-data browsing, along with a new Asian Voices section featuring opinions from local and regional thought leaders and commentators  about the most important issues facing Asia.“The investment in Channel NewsAsia’s digital platforms is also part of Mediacorp’s ongoing commitment to provide advertisers in Singapore and globally with high quality digital advertising opportunities they can rely on and trust,” the press statement read.It added that the improvements are a response to the needs of Channel NewsAsia’s fast-growing audience. The refreshed site and apps were developed over 12 months following extensive input from advertisers, readers, viewers and listeners.Mediacorp’s digital team developed the refreshed site and apps together with WPP’s VML Singapore and IBM’s Aperto AG. Mediacorp awarded the two companies the Channel NewsAsia project following a global pitch in January 2016. The refreshed site and apps went live on Saturday 22 April 2017.According to Walter Fernandez, editor-in-chief, Mediacorp, this is the “most extensive upgrade” of Channel NewsAsia's digital platforms in over a decade. In designing the new digital experience, Mediacorp studied how consumers used their mobile devices to consume news, along with studying what has worked in other global newsrooms.“The enhancements, which will be rolled out in phases over the next nine months, will significantly improve the news consumption experience and our engagement with our audiences,” said Fernandez.Meanwhile, Parminder Singh, chief commercial and digital officer at Mediacorp, said the digital transformation roadmap for Channel NewsAsia will deliver more enhanced features and exclusive content to help audiences understand Asia.“We are already gathering and analysing the responses of users to this first phase and will work at progressively delivering a better experience for our audiences and higher-value opportunities for brands,” Singh said.