SCMP Group to deepen investments in bid for larger share of global market

SCMP Group, publisher of the South China Morning Post, plans to further invest in both its core publishing business and digital products to capture a growing global audience amid a challenging domestic market.

“Looking ahead, the short-term domestic market outlook will likely be challenging; however, we see potential upside beyond Hong Kong,” said Robin Hu, chief executive of the SCMP Group, as he hosted the annual general shareholder meeting on Monday.

“We have witnessed positive traction in international traffic growth and digital subscription, and expect our newly launched SCMP.com International Edition to yield green shoots as we market our unique positioning as an independent insider on China’s rise to a growing global audience of China stakeholders.”

SCMP Group chairman David Pang also told shareholders at the AGM that international expansion would be the key.

“The encouraging growth in digital subscriptions and online advertising is in line with our digital transformation strategy, which saw us making significant headway into delivering our products from print across mobile, desktop, tablet and social media networks,” Pang said.

“This strategy helped us further expand our readership globally, which currently stands at one-third from North America and Europe, one-third from Asia Pacific and one-third from Hong Kong and China. This balanced international reach enables us to tell the story of China’s rise to a broader audience.”