Free dailies show minor differences

SINGAPORE: A MindShare report looking into the readership of Singapore's two new freely-distributed dailies Streats and Today has intensified the rivalry between their respective publishers - Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and Media Corp Press. MindShare conducted an observation-based study in December. The media agency followed this up with on-the-spot interviews with 805 train commuters in January to determine which was the more popular paper. But it found little reader loyalty to separate the two papers. According to its survey, 44 per cent of respondents read both publications, 37 per cent only read Streats and 19 per cent only read Today. Both publications are available in the morning but usually run out by 9am. According to the report, Streats runs out earlier than Today possibly because SPH has people handing out Streats instead of relying solely on dispensers. SPH's English language daily The Straits Times reported the findings much to the chagrin of Today's publisher. The latter followed up with an editorial and "letter to the editor". Today claimed the report was "not strictly objective" and the results were skewed because MindShare only interviewed people at train stations, failing to take into account that Today is also available from Shell petrol stations. MindShare conducted the survey as both titles have yet to release their readership data since launching late last year, according to Manpreet Singh, the agency's general manager. Streats has a circulation of about 200,000 copies and Today has 220,000, according to statements from their publishers.

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