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WHERE WE ARE Berhad 28 Platform Review

THE PRESS

As the leading print and digital media company in with innovative products and comprehensive media solutions, The (Malaysia) Berhad’s (“NSTP”) main purpose is to provide the best content and product that is relevant, compelling and attractive to readers and business partners.

2020 marked a significant milestone for NSTP driven value-added focus, NSTP had made several as we adapted to the new business normal from organisational changes to achieve this aim. The NSTP group the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. All this while we bagged a total of maintained our same aggressive push in both In January 2020, NSTP had agreed to transfer the nine awards at the the digital realm, as well as in print for our three administrative as well as the digital sales functions prestigious MPI- Malaysian newspaper titles — New Straits Times (“NST”), of all its digital assets to REV Media Group (“RMG”), Journalism Awards (“BH”) and (“HM”). a 100% subsidiary of Media Prima. 2019, including making a clean As with other industries, the newspaper and media January also saw the official commencement of sweep of two industry was not spared from the Covid-19 impact, operations for Print Towers Sdn Bhd (“PTSB”), a categories, namely Best Columnist which had affected NSTP’s advertising revenue. 100% subsidiary of NSTP. Formerly known as Berita and Excellence Leveraging Media Prima Berhad’s (“MPB”) group Harian Publishing Sdn Bhd, PTSB is a full-fledged, International transformation strategy of being subsidiary- stand-alone commercial newspaper printing and Journalism. centric with a lean structure and a clear profit- logistics business, that undertakes orders beyond Media Prima and Media Mulia Sdn Bhd. WHERE WE ARE Annual Report 2020 29

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For mobile, we continued to grow our reach with ongoing developments of our e-paper and mobile applications including NST Mobile, HM Mobile and BH Mobile.

2 In April 2020, as part of the Group’s strategy of having integrated marketing functions under a separate entity, NSTP’s entire Advertising Sales department were transferred to Media Prima Omnia Sdn Bhd (“Omnia”), another subsidiary of MPB.

Three main targets were set — to become the undisputed leader for Malaysian news and content by focussing on our core business of content generation; to maximise the value of every NSTP product; and to continue playing our part as an active corporate citizen and contribute more towards nation-building.

For NSTP’s three main publications, despite the movement restrictions and new SOPs, we continued to enhance our newspapers’ DNA which are known as the 4Es: Exclusive, Examine, Educate For NST, which celebrated its 175th anniversary and Entertain. For print, we strengthened their on 15 July, a grand exhibition titled “Traversing 1. editorial offerings with new columnists and new 175” was held at Galeri Prima in August 2020, Prime Minister of exclusive stories every month, before following up which saw the YAB Prime Minister graciously Malaysia, YAB Tan Sri with more current and related news for the online officiating the event with a hope for NST to “always launched the New audience. be the foremost English-language newspaper and Straits Times’ 175th remains as the source of reference for everyone, Anniversary Exhibition For mobile, we continued to grow our reach with not just in Malaysia but the whole world - when the held at Galeri Prima, ongoing developments of our e-paper and mobile world wants to know about Malaysia.” Balai Berita . applications including NST Mobile, HM Mobile 2. and BH Mobile. In the social sphere, we rallied For BH, the professional, family-oriented Bahasa NSTP received a the public’s support to help us contribute more daily truly lived up to its tagline as the “Wadah courtesy visit from towards nation-building, by leveraging the history Pembaharuan - Berimbang, Adil dan Tepat”, with Russia Ambassador to and legacy behind NSTP as an institution that has live forums and talk shows held to build trust with Malaysia, Naiyl Latypov (right) at Balai Berita produced some of the nation’s greatest literary and our young online audience and increase our online Bangsar. journalism giants. programming variety. WHERE WE ARE Media Prima Berhad 30 Platform Review

The Bicara BH, for example, which is streamed evoking word-plays and more community-centric 3. live on Facebook, had several ministers and stories, which has been successful in getting the As a way to help the needy other distinguished panellists and industry attention of the public and corporate sponsors. The affected by Covid-19, the representatives discussing various interesting and funds poured into HM’s Tabung Metro Prihatin under Titipan Kasih Khas Harian up-to-date topics that were more relatable to the the Media Prima-NSTP Humanitarian Fund, allowed Metro Bersama Affin Islamic Bank Bhd programme paid a younger audience. us to give more in 2020, and truly reach out to those visit to a single father, Syed in need. Abdullah Nik (third, left) With an invitation to be in someone else’s shoes, in Sik, Kedah, who raised the “Rasai Berita Sebenar” tagline aptly describes Our overall resolve to deliver beyond expectations three children including two HM’s overall content approach, with emotion- was also severely tested during the staging of adopted children, one of rd whom is disabled. this year’s 33 Anugerah Bintang Popular BH (“ABPBH33”) in November 2020. Initially mired 4. For NSTP, our reason for being in online controversy, it turned out to be a huge The 33rd Anugerah Bintang success with this year’s show garnering an even Popular BH paid a special has always been to serve higher audience share ratings than last year’s. tribute to veteran singer- songwriter Francissca Malaysians with high quality Peter with the Lifetime Staged at Axiata Arena within the new normals, Achievement Award. and credible content. with no audiences and strict adherence to SOPs, ABPBH33 was aired and streamed live on TV3, tonton, the YouTube channels of TV3 and BH, as well as on ABPBH’s official website (www.abpbh.com. 3 ) and the TikTok app.

Moving forward, it will remain a very challenging operating environment ahead for the overall newspaper and media industry, with some analysts opining that the pandemic is actually hastening the decline in traditional media revenues as advertising expenditure suffers.

With the operating environment expected to remain as such within the immediate to near term, NSTP as a company will consciously improve its operational efficiencies internally with more prudent cost- saving measures as a way to cushion the impact of lower revenues. 4 At the same time, the Company will continue to develop and grow our digital initiatives, to meaningfully offset any declines in traditional revenue, and focus on the value stream we use to deliver content to the audience.

For NSTP, our reason for being has always been to serve Malaysians with high quality and credible content, be it news, lifestyle or entertainment, that will enrich and complement their daily lives.

New work structure, new approaches and processes within a new normal, cost optimisations and new strategies are just some of the plans put in place by NSTP to meet the current challenges and strive forward, pandemic or not.