A view of the SPH Media news centre building. (File photo: TODAY)

Police close SPH Media circulation probe with no further action

Daily circulation numbers of SPH Media titles were found to have been inflated by 85,000 and 95,000, or about 10 to 12 per cent of the reported daily average circulation, prompting a police report in 2023.

29 Apr 2026, 04:44 · CNA · Join

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SINGAPORE: The police have concluded investigations into potential offences related to inflated circulation numbers discovered during an SPH Media internal audit.

In a statement on Wednesday (Apr 29), the police said that, in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers, they will take no further action after finding no basis for criminal charges.

The probe followed a police report lodged by SPH Media on June 2023, after its audit and risk committee flagged issues in circulation data that could potentially constitute offences.

The media company publishes news titles such as the Straits Times, The Business Times and Lianhe Zaobao

Daily circulation numbers of SPH Media titles were found to have been inflated by between 85,000 and 95,000, or about 10 to 12 per cent of the reported daily average circulation.

This included instances where copies were printed, counted for circulation and then destroyed, as well as double-counting of subscriptions.

The company had then said the report was based on findings from an internal investigation and was not made against specific individuals.

The police said on Wednesday that their probe looked into former and current directors and employees of SPH Media for possible offences, including falsification of accounts and cheating.

In response to CNA’s queries, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said no further action was needed in light of the police findings.

"In any case, SPH Media has since November 2023 implemented a new methodology to compute circulation numbers, which was endorsed by an expert panel at the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)," MDDI said.

The ministry added that "SPH Media has also improved internal management of deal structure and pricing approval measures, and introduced measures to enhance data accuracy and compliance."

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