Star Media Group Bhd (SMG) has been conferred an award by the World Digital Chamber (WDC) and KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific for its trailblazing efforts in becoming the first media house in the region to launch an electronic newspaper (epaper).

KSI president Tan Sri Michael Yeoh said the award was in recognition of The Star as a market leader in the epaper segment and the first in Malaysia.

“It has grown so much since and a lot of people are now reading The Star ePaper,” said KSI president Tan Sri Michael Yeoh after presenting the award and certificate to SMG group chief executive officer Chan Seng Fatt at Menara Star here yesterday.

Yeoh noted that The Star ePaper and its online news portal are currently the most popular and important sources of news and content.

“Many of my friends tell me that the first thing they do in the morning is read The Star ePaper before leaving home for work,” he added.

With the rapid advance in technology, Yeoh said that epapers must be innovative to remain relevant.

However, he said The Star has taken the leadership role in technology and innovation, adding that it has done very well.

He said the epaper is a convenient way for Malaysians travelling or living abroad to catch up on the latest news back home in Malaysia.

Yeoh said that he still preferred reading a print copy of The Star newspaper whenever he is in Malaysia but would rely on the ePaper when he travels overseas as it is convenient.

On June 23, 1995, then The Star Online became Malaysia’s first news website that was recognised in 2014 as one of the best in Asia by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (Wan-Ifra).

On Jan 4, 2009, The Star ePaper was launched along with SMS news alerts and a podcasting service for mobile users.

Chan said both print newspapers and epapers play equally important roles in completing the news ecosystem.

He added that the physical and online versions of The Star have a different “feel” to its readers.

Although traditionally the physical newspaper of The Star is widely accepted as the preferred medium by its readers, Chan said there has been a growth in the popularity of The Star ePaper due to its convenience and easy access.

Also present at the ceremony were SMG chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng and KSI chief operating officer and executive director Caroline Cheong.