GMA New Media, Inc. (NMI) has tied up with Singapore Media Exchange (SMX) Pte. Ltd., a joint venture firm established by two Singapore media groups, to help GMA expand its audience worldwide.

In a statement Friday, the digital media and tech arm of listed GMA Network, Inc., said the partnership is intended to expand the broadcast network’s plan to further its reach across various cultures and territories.

“We are thrilled to work with SMX and see this as an opportunity to leverage the strength of media giants like Singapore Press Holdings and Mediacorp through SMX. This partnership is a significant enabler not just for premium content providers like GMA but for advertisers as well since the synergies it creates will be instrumental to achieving our goals in terms of revenue targets, market penetration, and cost efficiency, among others,” NMI Chief Operating Officer and President Judd Gallares was quoted.

For 2019, GMA has a revenue growth target of 12%, with election-driven revenue and a recurring advertising sales seen accounting for the biggest share.

In a regulatory filing, GMA said its attributable net profit surged 70.7% to P716.08 million in the three months to March, driven by advertisinga.

Consolidated revenue rose 14% year-on-year to P3.8 billion, on the back of political advertisements which accounted for over P300 million in the three-month period.

Meanwhile, SMX, co-owned by Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. and Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., aims to establish itself in the Southeast Asian market via partnerships in the region.

“The expansion offers advertisers a one-stop selection of programmatic brand-safe options to reach top-quality audiences across Southeast Asia, including exclusive access to premium formats,” according to the statement.

SMX is also expected to have more opportunities to combine its own proprietary data with those of its partners to gain a richer understanding of the audience for more precise and effective targeting.

“These regional partnerships I believe will propel SMX towards a strong regional offering that reinforces our ability to provide buyers with rich audiences, precision targeting and innovative ad formats while making the supply accessible with more buying options and across bidders,” SMX Chief Executive Officer Hari Shankar said in the statement.

NMI joins SMX’s new group of partners which consist of media publishers and marketplace platforms that have presence in Southeast Asia. — Janina C. Lim

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR