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.
