SINGAPORE – SPH Media is partnering with Japanese media outlet Nikkei to exchange editorial knowledge between newsrooms, collaborate on new artificial intelligence (AI) technology and grow the regional audience of both companies.
The partnership, announced jointly by SPH Media and Nikkei on Wednesday, will see regular exchanges between the two companies in the form of briefings, study trips and secondments for newsrooms to share best practices and experiences. This will start in the second half of 2023.
“These exchanges will allow the two companies to discuss and learn from each other on topics such as digital transformation, the use of data analytics and the development of editorial talent,” the companies said. in a joint press release, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding.
SPH Media will also explore the use of artificial intelligence technology developed by Nikkei’s English language data service, scoutAsia. The Asia-focused corporate news and data platform, which was jointly developed by Nikkei and the Financial Times in 2018, provides AI-powered insights into what’s changing in Asian businesses.
Since March, SPH Media has started working on a project to explore potential applications of technology solutions to enhance its digital news offerings.
With support from Nikkei, SPH Media and Singapore-based AI firm DC Frontiers intend to develop applications of technology solutions under the next phase of the project, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2023. .
“This could enable SPH Media to include the use of advanced technologies such as AI story tagging and meaning extraction in its digital news offerings,” the companies said.
Meaning extraction refers to the scanning of articles to extract information based on given parameters and, in this case, to potentially automatically summarize articles.
Nikkei will also support leading Asian media companies in their digitization efforts as it expands its global operations.
“Both (SPH Media and Nikkei) are keen to embark on joint initiatives that can help grow their respective regional audiences,” the companies said. This will include collaboration on events, marketing and sales, which will leverage their networks.
SPH Media Group Managing Director Teo Lay Lim said, “Since the restructuring of SPH Media in December 2021, we have invested resources to digitally transform our news headlines to provide a better user experience. We are very pleased to partner with Nikkei to continue our transformation efforts and provide our readers with quality and user-friendly information products.
“By partnering with SPH Media, Nikkei hopes to leverage both companies’ use of AI technology and digitization expertise,” said Nikkei Chairman and CEO Tsuyoshi Hasebe.
“We are confident that this exchange will ultimately support our mission to help our users make informed business decisions.”
