 SPH
& TOM up the ante in China’s outdoor advertising market
Singapore, 18 August 2006 – Singapore Press Holdings
Ltd (SPH), a media giant in Singapore, has embarked on an aggressive
drive to be the leading media group in Asia.
Following the acquisition of a 35% stake in TOM Outdoor Media Group
(OMG) in March 2006, SPH will be sending 5 members to fill various
key positions in subsidiaries of the outdoor advertising arm of
TOM Group Limited from September.
They are:
- Simon Choo, CEO (China) SPH MediaBoxOffice, will be joining
TOM OMG HQ as General Manager, Media Development (Digital/Technology).
He is the co-founder of MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd, a leading billboard
specialist in Singapore. The company is now known as SPH MediaBoxOffice
Pte Ltd, after SPH acquired a majority stake in 2005.
- Kuah Sok Khim, ex-Marketing Director of Clear Channel Singapore,
the world leader in outdoor advertising, is appointed the General
Manager in the Beijing office. She has 10 years of marketing &
research experience, having worked in SPH and Synovate.
- Gwen Loong, who has previously held several key positions in
Forbes, The Economist Group, AXN Action TV and MTV China, is appointed
National Sales Director. She will be responsible in the business
development of key clients and managing network sales throughout
China.
- Andrew Wong will take up the position as Deputy Finance Director
in Shanghai. He has 15 years of finance experience. Prior to joining
SPH’s Finance Division, he was working in the electronics
sector, where he gained overseas experience in China and Hungary.
- Joe Wong, Senior Group Account Manager in SPH’s Marketing
Division, will be the Deputy General Manager in the Kunming office.
Prior to joining SPH, Joe was involved in marketing for the ASEAN
region at Ralston Purina International.
Although SPH has its footprint across many countries in the region
– such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand - in newspapers, magazines,
broadcasting and Internet platforms, the strategic partnership with
TOM OMG marks its foray into the fastest growing medium of the world’s
most populous country.
In China, outdoor advertising accounts for 17% of the total advertising
expenditure (Adex) of USD11.5b, which is 12 times the size of Singapore's
Adex of USD1.1b in 2005. Out of the total Outdoor Adex of USD 2b,
billboard advertising takes the lion’s share of 50%.
TOM OMG is the leader in billboard advertising with an extensive
media network that covers over 300,000 sq m advertising space in
60 major cities, and 16 subsidiaries in key cities such as Beijing,
Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming, Chengdu and Chongqing supported by
close to 1,000 staff. Apart from billboards, the company offers
clients a complete range of advertising formats, ranging from unipoles,
billboards, street furniture to bus shelters and provides value-add
by doubling up as an advertising agency. TOM OMG is ranked No. 3
(after Dentsu & Saatchi & Saatchi) in the Top 100 PRC Advertising
companies.
SPH has been expanding rapidly in the media scene within and beyond
the print platform over the past 12 months. Besides inking a deal
with TOM OMG, the media group has acquired a majority stake in SPH
MediaBoxOffice, launched ST701, an online Classified platform, introduced
STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print), an Internet portal that
connects, engages and interacts with readers, and published Singapore’s
first Chinese freesheet, My Paper.
Issued by Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Co. Regn. No.: 198402868E
For more information, please contact:
Kuah Sok Khim
General Manager (Marketing & Operations), Beijing
TOM Outdoor Media Group
Tel: +86-1391-1781-723
Email: khim@tomoutdoor.com
About Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Main board listed Singapore Press Holdings Limited is the leading
media company in Singapore, in the print, Internet and broadcasting
platforms. It publishes 14 newspapers in the four official languages,
including Singapore's first free Chinese newspaper, My Paper, and
over 80 magazine titles. Everyday, 2.7 million individuals, or 83
per cent of the people above 15 years old, read one of the SPH publications.
Its Internet Business Unit manages the online editions of SPH's
major newspapers, which enjoy over 100 million pageviews from 6
million unique visitors every month. More recent online additions
are the classified website, ST701, and STOMP (Straits Times Online
Mobile Print), a portal that connects, engages and interacts with
readers on the Internet and via mobile messaging.
SPH owns and operates Paragon, the prime shopping and office building
in the heart of Orchard Road. Paragon features international brands
and luxury goods, restaurants serving wide-ranging cuisines and
lifestyle facilities such as spas and a fitness club.
SPH also owns a 20% stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which
operates free-to-air channels 5, 8, U and TV Mobile, and a 40% stake
in MediaCorp Press Pte Ltd, which publishes free sheet Today. SPH
has a 70% stake in SPH UnionWorks, which operates two entertainment
radio channels, Radio 100.3 in Chinese and Radio 91.3 in English.
In addition, SPH holds an 80% stake in SPH MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd,
Singapore’s largest LED network media company, and a 35% stake
in TOM Outdoor Media Group, a leading outdoor advertising company
in China.
About TOM Group Limited
TOM Group Limited (stock code: 2383) is listed on the Main Board
of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. A leading Chinese-language media
conglomerate in Greater China, TOM Group has diverse business interests
in five key areas: Internet (TOM Online), Outdoor Media (TOM Outdoor
Media Group), Publishing, Sports, Television and Entertainment across
markets in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In each of the
areas it operates, TOM Group has secured market leadership.
The Group was founded in October 1999 as a joint venture between
Hutchison Whampoa, Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, and other strategic
investors. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the Group has regional headquarters
in Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei with over 4,000 employees in more
than 20 cities.
For more information about TOM Group, please log on to www.tomgroup.com.
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