Copies run out? Read My Paper with app

Engineer Yap Shi Meng, 26, normally grabs a copy of the free bilingual newspaper My Paper on his way to work, but some mornings he finds copies have run out by the time he reaches Jurong East MRT station.

Now, he will still be able to read the full newspaper through the new My Paper app, when he does not get the print version.

The free mobile app went online on Apple and Android app stores last Friday as part of the newspaper’s efforts to expand its readership and meet demand.

The circulation department of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), which publishes My Paper, found that some readers were missing out after copies of the newspaper ran out each morning.

It has been distributed free at MRT stations and selected residential areas since 2006, when it was launched as a Chinese newspaper. It became bilingual in 2008.

The app, which features a PDF version of the newspaper, aims to give readers a similar experience to reading a physical copy.

Unlike many other news apps which restrict non-subscribers from sharing the full text of stories, the new app allows users to share full stories and advertisements with friends.

They can also download and save images onto their phones. Apple device users can also share the stories via e-mail, Facebook and chat messenger WhatsApp.

Ms Elsie Chua, executive vice-president and head of marketing at SPH, said: “This allows for interesting offers from advertisers to be shared virally, and expand the reach and response in advertising within My Paper.”

Mr Yap finds the new app “much easier to read on trains”.

Another reader, Ms Stephanie Seah, 27, said: “Many newspapers with online editions do not publish the full article, and if the hard copies run out, having the option of a PDF copy is good.”

andreang@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 09 2015.
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