SPH Media clarified on Tuesday (Jan 10) that circulation data is not used as a basis for the company’s advertising packages.

Instead, media rates and advertising packages are based on reach and readership data from independent third-party research agencies.

In a letter to trade partners, SPH Media chief executive Teo Lay Lim said the company’s media rates and advertising packages are based on reach and readership of individual titles, as well as SPH Media’s solutions as a whole.

“Data on reach and readership is collected periodically via a survey panel that is statistically representative of the Singapore population,” Teo said.

“This data is obtained from and verified by independent third-party research agencies, namely GfK,” she added.

The letter to trade partners comes after the company said on Monday it had found inconsistencies in circulation data after a review of internal processes initiated in March 2022.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

In response to the question of what circulation data was used for, an SPH Media spokesperson clarified that the circulation numbers reflected the “paid customer base, which is one of the key metrics tracked by media companies”.

The inconsistencies led to a discrepancy of 10 to 12 per cent in circulation figures, or about 85,000 to 95,000 daily average copies across all titles.

SPH Media is the publisher of The Straits Times, The Business Times, Berita Harian, Tamil Murasu, Lianhe Zaobao and Shin Min Daily News.

In December 2021, SPH Media was spun out of Singapore Press Holdings, which was formerly listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX).

In response to media queries, an SGX Group spokesperson said on Tuesday that the bourse is reviewing the circulation information, including its materiality and when it happened.