Singapore’s media network SPH Media has integrated artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics for content creation and delivery, multimedia storytelling, understanding consumption patterns and providing data-driven and personalised content.
This helps enhance operational efficiencies, provide richer multimedia experiences tailored to users' preferences and improve content discovery and engagement.
SPH Media’s chief technology officer, Kaythaya Maw, told iTnews Asia the media house is leveraging generative AI, large language models, and automation to streamline newsroom tasks, including transcription, translation, summarisation, named entity identification, sentiment analysis, and PDF content extraction.
It has established a centralised DataHub to aggregate data from channels, including website analytics, app usage statistics, subscription details, partner survey data, and other third-party information, said Maw.
This central repository ensures that data is accessible and manageable from a single point, providing a holistic view of user interactions and behaviours, he added.
SPH Media enhances its collection of first-party data by improving user tracking mechanisms, implementing registration requirements, and securing data sharing permissions on digital platforms.
This offers a detailed representation of user behaviour and preferences, necessary for personalised content delivery.
Tailoring content with audience preferences
According to Maw, the consolidated data is made accessible through tools like Lumos - newsroom analytics dashboard - and audience segmentation services.
Trained data analysts and explorers analyse data to derive insights on audience preferences across content types, audience demographic profiles and market segments, trending topics, and content engagement metrics for newsrooms.
These data-driven audience insights inform editorial strategy and decision making, including identifying content gaps to meet audience needs and tailoring content types or formats to align with audience preferences, said Maw.
It further helps in verifying information sources and reports by cross-checking with empirical data, guiding investigative reporting on emerging topics or justifying investments in niche content verticals, he added.
Journalists leverage newsroom analytics platforms including Chartbeat and Lumos to gain insights into audience engagement with content.
It offers a holistic view of audience behaviours, engagement, conversion, and key metrics over extended periods, said Maw.
“By democratising access to audience analytics, Lumos empowers journalists to participate in growing their audiences and make data-informed decisions about the content they produce,” he added.
Migration to cloud
SPH Media has migrated customer-facing websites and applications to cloud infrastructure with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
They have jointly implemented solutions optimised for AWS analytics, AI and ML (machine learning), and databases.
With AWS, it has developed Entity360 – a unified data platform, which consolidates data sources into a data lake.
“We worked with AWS to design and implement a centralised data repository that enables advanced analytics across the organisation,” said Maw.
Additionally, SPH Media has transformed ITSM (IT Service Management) processes and contact centre operations by deploying ServiceNow solutions through a joint implementation roadmap.
According to Maw, the first phase of the Smart Advertising Platform is expected to be rolled out later this year.
This will allow agencies and ad buyers to self-service the booking and activation of media campaigns on SPH Media platforms.
This will streamline and digitalise the media campaign booking process for SPH Media, said Maw.
