8 Southeast Asian publishers participate in Data and Insights Launchpad 2022

ASTRO AWANI has just completed the second edition of the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data and Insights Launchpad (DIL) delivered through a partnership between Google and FT Strategies. DIL is a three month long program aimed at addressing and accelerating publishers’ data and insights capabilities, from reader discovery to subscription strategy.

Drawing on the expertise of the GNI, FT Strategies, and broader industry subject matter experts, the program aims to help publishers understand the value of audience data and insights through a reader survey, a series of inspiration sessions with expert subject speakers as well as publisher tailored workshops. FT Strategies uses the publishers’ data and audience insights to produce actionable business and strategy recommendations on topics such as data collection, data metrics, and building a data-led subscription strategy.

The program also created an environment for the publishers to discuss their own experiences from successes to failures in utilising data across their organisations.

"In partnership with FT Strategies, we are pleased to bring the Data & Insights Launchpad program to publishers across Southeast Asia. Through this program, we are looking to empower publishers in their digital sustainability efforts and thrive in the digital world," Fazal Ashfaq, Head of News Partnerships, South East Asia and South Asia Emerging Markets at Google.

The program is designed for publishers who are looking to accelerate their digital transformation and data and analytics capabilities. Building on the success of last year's DIL program in the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), the 2022 program received 30 applications from around Southeast Asia. This program spanned 5 countries in total, and the eight participants of this year’s program include:

● The Straits Times, Singapore ● Thairath, Thailand ● ABS-CBN, Philippines ● Sinar Harian, Malaysia ● Astro Awani, Malaysia ● Malaysiakini, Malaysia ● New Straits Times, Malaysia ● Sin Chew Daily, Malaysia

The selection panel focused on ensuring that the final cohort of eight publishers was diverse in nature, across publisher size, addressable audiences, medium of publication, and participants at different stages of their subscriptions journey. This has enabled the cohort to spread DIL’s impact and benefits across the Southeast Asia publishing landscape.

About the Google News Initiative and Digital Growth Program Data and Insights Launchpad (DIL) is a part of the Google News Initiative’s (GNI) Digital Growth Program, which was created to provide Southeast Asia news publishers with training and other resources to grow their digital business. The Google News Initiative represents Google’s largest-ever effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age. Through its partnerships, programs and products, the Google News Initiative works with thousands of organisations worldwide to support quality independent journalism, financial sustainability, and development of new technologies that drive innovation. Google allocated US$300 million over three years to energise these collaborations, and to lay the foundation for new products and programs for a diverse set of news publishers, to benefit the entire ecosystem. This includes supporting thought leadership on topics like consumer revenue, advertising, and data that are critical to the future of the news industry. About FT Strategies FT Strategies is the digital growth consultancy from the Financial Times, providing the expert insight, integrity and consulting excellence required to transform its clients’ future based on real world, first-hand experience. FT Strategies empowers your ambitions by delivering a sustainable growth strategy, built upon leading-edge capabilities that improve your customer engagement, retention, revenues and profit. Staffed by the experts who successfully transformed the FT’s business model in the face of disruption, FT Strategies works with other organisations worldwide from a wide range of sectors, helping them grow their digital revenue, increase customer engagement and future-proof their businesses. The firm has deep expertise in reader revenue, customer engagement, and analytics, enabling companies to build profitable digital relationships with their audiences, thrive in the new digital economy, and future-proof their business.