Mothership (website)
 | |
Type of site | Technology news and analysis |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Headquarters | Singapore |
| Owner | Bridgewater Holdings Pte Ltd |
| Editor | Martino Tan (Managing Editor) Belmont Lay (Editor) |
| URL | mothership |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | None |
| Launched | February 2014 |
| Current status | Active |
Mothership.sg is an online news website that operates in Singapore. It was founded in August 2013 and officially launched in February 2014.
History
In 2012, while Martino Tan was working in the Prime Minister's Office as a senior manager of online communications managing Lee Hsien Loong's Facebook presence, Lien We King approached him with a proposal of having a digital-only platform for young Singaporeans.[1] Lien in turn had met Balmont Lay,[1] the founder of New Nation, a Singapore online satirical news website.[2] Inspired by the style of BuzzFeed publication, the trio experimented with the content of the website with a small audience before going online with their first article, 48 reasons why you still feel for Singapore, in August 2013.[1][3] The server crashed for two hours due to the article being widely shared.[3]
In February 2014, the site was officially launched.[1] The website was initially funded by a social enterprise, Project Fishermen, headed by civil servant veteran Philip Yeo, and former foreign minister of Singapore, George Yeo was its advisor as well.[3] On 2 April 2014, the website registered for a class license issued under the Broadcasting Act.[4] After the Media Development Authority had introduced a new framework for websites with local news content in 2013, the website sought MDA for advice if it should be licensed under the framework as well. In 2015, the website was told by MDA that it met the threshold that requires the website to be registered.[5] As part of the requirements, the website had to put up a S$50,000 bond.[5] The website's continued existence indicates that it had complied with the requirements.
In 2016, Mothership was re-registered as a private limited company, Bridgewater Holdings Pte Ltd, away from Project Fishermen.[1][6] This was done in an effort to change its funding structure from being supported by a social enterprise to a fully commercial media business, and to avoid a potential lack of funding by end of 2015 under the previous funding structure.[1]
In 2021, University of Oxford's Reuters Institute issued a Digital News Report in which indicated that Mothership is used by 42% of Singapore's population.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Charting his own Course". www.nus.edu.sg. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ Lukman, Enricko (19 February 2014). "Singapore's satirical news site loves trolling legit media, gets 1 million page-views every month". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c "Social news website Mothership brings home discussion on Singapore". The Straits Times. 2014-02-03. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Singapore news website Mothership.sg agrees to register under Broadcasting Act". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ a b "Mothership.sg to operate under MDA individual licensing regime". TODAY. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- ^ "Singapore news website Mothership.sg agrees to register under Broadcasting Act". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ "Singapore". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
