More than two decades after it was launched,
and just months after it comprehensively revamped its website, news
and lifestyle aggregator AsiaOne is expected to shut down as early
as next month.
Various sources in Singapore Press Holdings
(SPH) told Yahoo News Singapore on Friday (13
October) that the AsiaOne team, comprising about 10 members of
staff, will be re-deployed to the Straits Times Digital team.
Yahoo News Singapore sent
queries to SPH on the reasons for the planned shutdown of AsiaOne
and has yet to receive a response.
AsiaOne is the primary content aggregator for
SPH’s publications, featuring stories from the likes of The Straits
Times and The New Paper, while also syndicating content from SPH
magazines, such as Her World.
According to a YouGov poll released on
Wednesday, AsiaOne was ranked by millennials as the most-improved
brand.
In May, it touted a new logo, look and content
mix, focusing on social news and trending topics in Singapore
and the region.
The news comes on the back of Wednesday’s
announcement that SPH will be
cutting 230 jobs by the end of the year, as part of a
previously announced 10 per
cent reduction in its work force.
On Thursday, there were emotional scenes at
the News Centre in Toa Payoh as the media
giant began retrenching 130 employees. Flagship paper The
Straits Times saw dozens of employees cut, while The Business Times
lost 15 staff members.
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