KPIs important but not only way to assess performance: Josephine Teo responds to Pritam Singh on SPH Media Trust

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh submitted several questions about SPH Media Trust during the Ministry of Digital Development & Information's Committee of Supply debate on Mar. 7.

Specifically, Singh asked if SPH Media Trust, which did not meet all the KPIs set out last year, had fared better since.

He also asked if MDDI had set objective criteria for KPIs that were previously not met.

Sharing anecdotal feedback from "those that follow local issues" Singh said that "CNA's reporting and commentary on local issues in terms of depth has overtaken that of The Straits Times".

He also asked if the ministry conducts surveys to gauge the public's response to local media outlets.

"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?"

Josephine Teo: KPIs not the only way to assess performance

Responding to Singh, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo urged Members of Parliament to "avoid oversimplification".

"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," said Teo.

"Because, in truth, we need all of them to reach as many Singaporeans as we can."

She added: "Members who express concern about the sustainability of public service media will agree with me that the KPIs, such as reach, are important, but they are not the only ways for us to assess the performance and the effectiveness of public service media entities."

Additionally, MDDI might be looking at other KPIs to introduce for public service media.

"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, and so those would be the additional KPIs that we are looking to introduce."

In a subsequent clarification, Teo said that while reach and engagement were the key performance indicators for SPH Media Trust at the start, MDDI is now looking to include trust and public satisfaction as other KPIs.

"The important thing is that, where SMT is concerned, they know very well that the KPIs are a very central feature of the conversations that we have, and these they can feel it."

SPH Media did not meet KPIs, will receive pro-rated incentives

In her speech, Teo also pointed out that public trust in Singapore's public service media (CNA and SPH Media Trust) remains high — 74 per cent and 73 per cent respectively — even as falling revenues have forced newsrooms to rationalise.

She added that SPH Media’s print subscriptions have declined as readers shift to consuming news online and as such, SPH Media will "have to continue its pivot to digital news".

"The Government must support this effort so that our public service media entities can meet audiences where they are," said Teo.

She added that SPH Media did not request to lower their targets despite not meeting their KPIs.

Even so, SPH Media will still receive incentives, albeit a pro-rated amount, as per MDDI's agreement with the company.

"In 2024, they maintained their strong overall reach at 70 per cent of Singapore’s resident population, although youth and vernacular reach dipped. In line with the funding agreement, MDDI will pro-rate and award the Performance-Linked Incentives accordingly."

Top image: Joshua Lee.