ABACUS LAUNCHED BY SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST TO OFFER INSIDER’S LOOK INTO CHINA TECH INDUSTRY

A news brand covering China tech from the major players to the latest gadgets

NEW YORK, NY / HONG KONG (March 13, 2018) – The South China Morning Post, a global media company reporting on China and Asia for over a century, today announced the launch of Abacus (www.abacusnews.com), an English-language news brand and product covering the China tech industry. Abacus is led by Ravi Hiranand, who joined SCMP’s editorial leadership from CNN, and offers an insider’s look at the China tech revolution, highlighting the key players, emerging companies, hottest gadgets, and more through both editorial and multimedia storytelling. To celebrate the launch of Abacus, Hiranand and SCMP Head of Product Malcolm Ong, will ring the New York Stock Exchange Opening Bell this Friday.

With journalists in Hong Kong and mainland China, Abacus serves a global audience across multiple content categories:

  • Big Guns – news on all of China’s tech giants
  • Start-Ups – the newest companies on the scene
  • Digital Life – from viral trends to the Great Firewall, everything on the minds of Chinese netizens
  • Future Tech – a sneak peek at new products and technologies in the pipeline
  • Reviewed – expert appraisals of the latest consumer gadgets
  • Tried & Tested – putting apps and gadgets head to head to see which works best for you
  • Who Is & What Is – in-depth profiles of the biggest names in China tech

“After over a century of reporting on China, SCMP is proud to launch a new platform that offers our global audience a window on the rapid innovation in this part of the world,” said SCMP Chief Executive Officer Gary Liu. “Abacus and its editorial team will deliver breadth and depth of technology coverage, and a plurality of views to serve the curiosities of our readers. This new product will provide an ‘expert’s take’ on the growing global influence of China’s tech giants and new upstarts.”

“Thanks to China’s local culture, the sheer size of its population, and government regulations, China’s tech scene has evolved in ways very different from the rest of the world,” said Abacus Executive Producer Ravi Hiranand. “For example, the vast spread of mobile payment and QR codes has no parallel anywhere else. Gone are the days when every Chinese trend had a Western counterpart. And that’s where Abacus comes in: our goal is to share what’s happening in China and why it matters to the rest of the world.”

“In the past, China’s primary role in the global tech industry was manufacturing products for global companies. Times have changed,” said Malcolm Ong, Head of Product at SCMP and Abacus. “Today, China’s rapidly-evolving tech sector is spearheaded by cutting-edge innovation and home-grown tech titans that are projected to reshape the industry. We built Abacus from the ground up with a modern, bold user experience to show readers how this industry is impacting the globe.”


Abacus is also launching a robust US social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and will offer readers a “Best of Abacus” newsletter that highlights the top stories of the week.

Quick facts about the China tech industry:

  • There are more than 772 million internet users in China – the largest internet population in the world.
  • Ninety seven percent of internet users in China see the smartphone as their primary internet connection device.
  • Chinese consumers spend 50 times more on mobile payments than their American counterparts.
  • Tencent is the world’s largest gaming company.
  • The Chinese gaming market brought in 30 billion US dollars in revenue in 2017, which is nearly three times the North American box office revenue in 2016.

 

Source: Abacus

 

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ABOUT SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

South China Morning Post is a leading news media company that has reported on China and Asia for more than a century with global impact. Founded in 1903, SCMP is headquartered in Hong Kong, where it is the city’s newspaper of record. The SCMP teams span across Asia and the United States, working together to connect with news consumers around the world. SCMP is committed to informing and inspiring through journalism of the highest standards. The company’s vision is to “Elevate Thought” and its mission is to “Lead the global conversation about China”. SCMP develops news content 24/7, driven by world-class journalists, editors, visual artists, photographers and videographers, all guided by the principle of “Truth and Fairness”. Its editorial teams are powered by emerging digital technologies to create innovative ways to tell Asia’s most important and compelling stories. Against the backdrop of shifting discovery and consumption behaviours, SCMP reaches users across distributed media platforms including scmp.com, smartphone and tablet apps, social media and messaging platforms, as well as our flagship newspaper. Additionally, SCMP is Asia’s leading magazine publisher with a portfolio of premium lifestyle and fashion titles including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Esquire, Harper’s BAZAAR and The PEAK. SCMP is also home to cpjobs.com, a big data-powered recruitment platform that matches jobseekers with their dream jobs.