Pritam Singh grills Josephine Teo on SPH Media KPIs, minister says KPIs not sole measure of performance

SINGAPORE: Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh questioned Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on SPH Media Trust's performance metrics during the Ministry’s Committee of Supply debate on 7 March.

Despite SPH Media Trust failing to meet several key performance indicators (KPIs) for FY2024/2025, Teo defended the government's approach, stating that KPIs are not the sole measure of success.

In his speech, Singh highlighted that the government had earmarked S$260 million for SPH Media Trust in last year's budget and set specific KPIs to assess its performance.

However, the trust did not meet all its targets related to digital reach, youth engagement, vernacular reach, and average time spent on its platforms. As a result, it will not receive the full committed funding for FY2024/2025.

Singh, also Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC, pressed for clarity on how the ministry set these KPIs, whether they had been adjusted over time, and whether SPH Media Trust’s performance had improved since last year.

He also requested data on print and digital subscriptions for both English and vernacular titles over the past two years.

Singh calls for greater transparency in SPH Media Trust subsidies

Additionally, Singh raised concerns about transparency in the presentation of government subsidies for SPH Media Trust. He suggested a clearer way for the public to track these funds, given the substantial size of the subsidy.

Singh also cited anecdotal feedback that CNA’s reporting and commentary on local issues had surpassed The Straits Times (ST) in depth.

He questioned whether the ministry conducted surveys to assess public sentiment on local media and how this influenced the allocation of taxpayer dollars.

"If so, how does it make the decision to deploy taxpayer dollars to those media outlets that rank less satisfactorily in the public eye? How often are such surveys undertaken? What other objective KPIs does the ministry keep track of to ensure that the taxpayer dollars for SPH Media is purposefully spent?"

Teo urges MPs to "avoid oversimplification" in media performance comparisons

In response, Teo urged MPs to “avoid oversimplification” when comparing media outlets.

She noted that CNA, as a national broadcaster and digital news channel, had a different role from SPH Media Trust, which primarily operates print media.

"We have to remember that CNA is mainly our national broadcaster as well as digital news channel, whereas most of the assets of the SPH Media Trust are print, even though they have digital versions, and they are meant to be national papers of record, so they are different and complementary."

“It is my humble suggestion to Members to look at the performance of public service media holistically. Because, in truth, we need all of them to reach as many Singaporeans as we can,” said Teo.

She acknowledged that while reach and engagement had been key performance indicators for SPH Media Trust, the ministry was now considering additional metrics, such as public trust and satisfaction.

“Equally, we must look at the trust levels that they are able to harness from the population, and we must also look at satisfaction levels. Those would be the additional KPIs that we are looking to introduce,” she said.

Pritam Singh presses further on SPH Media KPIs, Josephine Teo confirms plans to introduce trust and satisfaction metrics

In his supplementary question, Singh sought further clarification on the KPIs for SPH Media Trust.

He contrasted SPH Media’s The ST with CNA, noting that both are serious mainstream English news publications. He pointed out that the public would inevitably form opinions on which outlet they consider of higher quality, and there was nothing unusual about such comparisons.

Singh reiterated that the core issue he was raising was the measurement of KPIs.

He sought confirmation on whether trust and satisfaction levels, which Teo had mentioned earlier, were currently recognised KPIs or if they were only being considered for future inclusion.

"If I heard the minister correctly, minister said that reach is an important KPI, but not the only KPI; and I stand corrected if I'm wrong, ministers then said that trust and satisfaction levels are KPIs that the ministry was looking to introduce. Can I confirm that those KPIs actually are not KPIs, that are considered currently?"

In response, Teo explained that when the government provides funding for any initiative, it carefully determines appropriate ways to track performance at that point in time.

She clarified that when funding was first discussed for SPH Media Trust, reach was a key metric, and over time, engagement was also included.

Now, the ministry considers trust and public satisfaction to be equally important and intends to incorporate them as part of SPH Media Trust’s KPIs moving forward.

Addressing Singh’s earlier question about budget transparency, Teo acknowledged his suggestions on including more details in the Budget Book and said the ministry would take them into consideration.

However, she noted that, like all ministries, it is not possible to list every KPI in the document. She reassured that SPH Media Trust is well aware of the importance of these KPIs in its discussions with the ministry.

On Singh’s comparison between ST and CNA, Teo remarked that public opinion on media outlets would always vary widely, stating,

“If you ask 10 people, you’d probably get at least 15 different views.”

She reiterated that the ministry monitors public trust in these news organisations and noted that both SPH Media Trust and CNA compare favourably in terms of trustworthiness.

Teo affirms SPH Media Trust did not request target revision despite missed KPI

Teo also confirmed that SPH Media Trust had not requested a revision of its targets despite failing to meet them.

While its print subscriptions continued to decline, its overall reach remained strong at 70 per cent of Singapore’s resident population. However, youth and vernacular reach saw a dip.

Under the terms of its funding agreement, MDDI will provide SPH Media Trust with a pro-rated amount of performance-linked incentives based on the KPIs met.

Teo further emphasised that public trust in Singapore’s public service media remained high, with CNA at 74 per cent and SPH Media Trust at 73 per cent, even as newsrooms faced financial challenges.

She reiterated the government’s commitment to supporting SPH Media Trust’s digital transition, ensuring that public service media remains accessible to Singaporeans.