Singapore, July 19 2007 - Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and Agence France-Presse (AFP) announced today a global deal to market SPH news pictures through the web-based AFP Imageforum service.

Hundreds of exclusive SPH images illustrating key points of Singapore’s history as well as major Asian regional events, along with selected daily pictures produced by SPH’s English flagship daily The Straits Times, are now available on AFP Imageforum. Pictures from other SPH newspapers are expected to be integrated into the service in stages.

SPH’s team of photographers has won several international awards, including awards from the Society for News Design (SND) and the Asia Media Awards organised by Ifra Asia, as well as awards for 4 straight years from the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA).

Mr Raymond Teoh, Head of Internet Business Unit at SPH, said: "We noted that there has been considerable demand from the media industry for pictures taken by SPH’s photographers. This partnership will allow more ease for the international media to access and purchase our pictures for their use. Our objective is to reach out to a wider base of customers via AFP and at the same time, provide better customer service.

"We are glad to be the primary South-east Asian partner of AFP. This partnership will allow the international community to get the best pictures presenting key events in Asia and the everyday lives of Asians," he added.

Mr Eric Wishart, AFP’s regional director for the Asia-Pacific region, said the launch of the service further enhances AFP Imageforum’s status as a "one-stop shop" for news and stock images.

"SPH is the leading media group in South-east Asia and AFP Imageforum has a global sales reach, so we have a perfect fit," Wishart said. "This also comes at a time when Singapore and its neighbouring countries are attracting greater attention thanks to their remarkable economic progress and growing importance in international affairs."

"Newspapers, magazines, websites, telcos, book publishers and other AFP Imageforum customers will now enjoy an even wider selection of images, thanks to the rich archives and strong daily production of SPH," Wishart said.

AFP will be responsible for handling international marketing, sales, subscription contracts and collection of retainer fees and royalties on behalf of SPH.

More than a dozen international providers are now featured on AFP Imageforum, making it one of the world’s most extensive collections of news and stock pictures.

Subscribers download pictures using exclusive log-ins to www.imageforum2.afp.com .

All subscription enquiries in Asia are to be directed via email to asia.sales@afp.com or to AFP bureaus outside Asia.

Jointly issued by Singapore Press Holdings Limited and Agence France-Presse

For photos and media enquiries, please contact the following :

Sebastian Chow
Senior Manager
Database & Newslink
New Media - Internet Business Unit
Marketing
Singapore Press Holdings Limited
DID: 6319 2060
Email: chowkcs@sph.com.sg

Adrian Cheong
Assistant Manager
Corporate Communications
Singapore Press Holdings Limited
DID: 6319 2261
Hp: 9798 6097
Email: cheongcy@sph.com.sg

Roberto Coloma
Deputy Sales and Marketing Director
Asia Pacific
Agence France-Presse
DID: 6222 8581
Email: Roberto.Coloma@afp.com

About AFP

Paris-based AFP, founded in 1835, is the world’s first news agency. It is now one of the top providers of multimedia and multilingual news products to a wide range of international clients.

With more than 4,000 employees, AFP reaches millions of readers and viewers daily via radio, television, newspaper, corporate and institutional subscribers. Its products and services are available in six main languages: French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.

AFP Imageforum now has more than five million images available for sale.

They include a number of historical photos dating back to the earliest days of photojournalism in the 19th century, side by side with breaking news, sports, business, lifestyle, celebrity, human interest, technology and offbeat pictures being uploaded by the hundreds everyday from around the world.

For more information on Agence France-Presse, please visit www.afp.com

About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Newspapers and Magazines
Main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) is the leading media company in Singapore, delivering news and information through print, Internet and broadcasting platforms. In Singapore, it publishes 14 newspapers in four languages. Every day, 2.7 million individuals or 83 percent of people above 15 years old, read one of SPH’s news publications. SPH also publishes over 90 magazine titles in Singapore and the region, covering a broad range of interests from lifestyle to information technology.

Internet and Mobile
Beyond print, the Internet editions of SPH newspapers enjoy over 100 million pageviews with 6 million unique visitors every month. Apart from SPH AsiaOne portal, SPH’s online and new media initiatives include a revolutionary mobile advertising and information service, ZapCode; recruitment and job search service, ST701; and STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print), a portal that connects, engages and interacts with readers on the Web and via mobile phone messaging.

Broadcasting
SPH has a 20 percent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8, U and TV Mobile, and a 40 percent stake in MediaCorp Press Pte Ltd, which publishes the free newspaper, Today. In the radio business, SPH has a 80 percent stake in SPH UnionWorks Pte Ltd, which operates entertainment stations Radio 100.3 in Mandarin and Radio 91.3 in English.

Outdoor Advertising
In addition, SPH has ventured into outdoor advertising through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SPH MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd, Singapore´s largest outdoor motion display advertising network media company, and a 35 percent stake in TOM Outdoor Media Group, a leading outdoor advertising company in China.

Properties
SPH owns and manages Paragon, the prime retail and office complex in the heart of Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping belt. SPH’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Times Development Pte Ltd, is also developing a 43-storey upmarket residential condominium, Sky@eleven, at Thomson Road.