SMG launches digital membership plan

PETALING JAYA: Star Media Group Bhd (SMG) is launching a digital membership plan for TheStar.com.my and its mobile app.

The move will take Malaysia’s first-ever news portal and its pioneering mobile app to the next level.

Beginning today, a dynamic paywall will be implemented on the website and its app, which is available for both Android and iOS platforms.

A free trial of the digital membership plan will be available for 30 days, followed by an introductory fee of RM1.90 for one month, after which it would be capped at only RM9.90 a month.

Digital members will get access to hundreds of news, features, videos, interactive graphics and more, daily.

Visually stunning, interactive, rich media will be the new norm.

And, with the revamped digital platform’s “For You” feature, the personal landing page can be customised so that only content that’s relevant to you appears.

“The digital membership is a bold but necessary move to ensure we can continue to provide quality journalism, ” said SMG chief content officer Esther Ng.

Providing quality journalism: Vogiatzakis and Ng.

She noted that global news organisations, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Straits Times and The Sydney Morning Herald, have also rolled out online subscriptions.

For the price of a cappuccino at your favourite coffee outlet, readers can continue to stay up-to-date with the latest news locally and around the world, as well as be informed of the issues our country is facing, said SMG chief executive officer Andreas Vogiatzakis.

The Star, which has been named as among the most trusted media in Malaysia by a Reuters Institute study, he added, had won numerous awards for journalism.

“We are proud of this talented team whose work has bagged many coveted prizes, including the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards and the MPI-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards, ” he said.

While print provides an in-depth picture of issues you cannot afford to miss, the online platform serves up instant analysis of news as it unfolds, and multimedia content.

Both platforms, said Ng, are symbiotic.

“Our readers trust us to uphold quality journalism, and we will continue with this tradition that has put The Star in pole position as the nation’s leading English news site for over two decades.

“Given the global acceptance and adoption of member-based services, we feel that now is a suitable time to introduce a membership plan to our readers.

“Is the economy ripe for start-ups? Is there a grace period to pay your taxes? What really happened behind the viral video of a crime you saw?

“The questions are numerous, and the issues can be confusing. We can provide verified answers, the inside info and the back-story, ” she said.

Readers can subscribe for The Star Digital Access membership via their web browser, through selected mobile network providers for single billing, or via The Star Malaysia app, which includes Apple Watch support, customisable navigation, a news-in-audio reader, dark mode, and bookmarked links that will be synchronised across devices so that they’re accessible on your phone, tablet and desktop.

While non-members will still get access to a select number of articles per month, members will get unlimited access as well member-only premium content.

All breaking news, however, will continue to be free.

For details, visit TheStar.com.my/subscribe or download The Star Malaysia app from App Store, Google Playstore or Huawei AppGallery.