Next Digital

Next Digital Limited (Chinese: 壹傳媒有限公司), previously known as Next Media Limited, founded by Jimmy Lai, has 4,041 employees (as of 30 Sep 2013) and is the largest listed media company in Hong Kong.

Next Digital Limited
壹傳媒有限公司
TypePublic
SEHK: 282
IndustryMedia
Founded
HeadquartersHong Kong
Key people
Jimmy Lai, Founder
Ip Yut Kin, Chairman,
Cheung Kim Hung, chief executive officer
Ting Ka Yu, Stephen, COO and CFO
RevenueHK$1,661 million
Number of employees
4,041 (as of 30 Sep 2013)
Websitenextdigital.com.hk
Next Digital
Traditional Chinese壹傳媒有限公司

Subdivisions include Next Media Interactive. The corporation is known for introducing tabloid-style journalism into Hong Kong and Taiwan that set trends in both markets. Apple Daily was the first newspaper to use the massive graphics, bold headlines and full colour pages now common to all best-selling papers in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

From 20 October 2015, the English name of the company changed to Next Digital Limited, from Next Media Limited.[1]

Political position

Next Media publications are also known for sensational articles. Next Media has often taken a clear and sometimes proactive support for pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong. Some companies with ties to China refuse to advertise in media owned by Next Media.

Controversy

The bold style of journalism has triggered unwanted attention from the triads with incidents of criminal damage at the offices of Next Media. Apple Daily and its parent company Next Media are considered pioneers of paparazzi and yellow journalism in Hong Kong. A notable incident happened in 2006 when Gillian Chung, a member of singing group Twins, was photographed changing clothes at the backstage by a spy camera installed by a subsidiary magazine of Next Media. The case triggered debated over paparazzi acts in Hong Kong and regulation of paparazzi was considered.

Key people arrested
Main article: Next Digital raid and arrests

On the 10th August 2020, the founder of Next Digital which owns Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai was arrested by Hong Kong Police on early monday for alleged collusion with foreign powers according to executive, Mark Simon on Twitter.[2] The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that "“The arrest of media tycoon Jimmy Lai bears out the worst fears that Hong Kong’s National Security Law would be used to suppress critical pro-democracy opinion and restrict press freedom,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Jimmy Lai should be released at once and any charges dropped.”"[3] Xinhua News Agency also stated that according to Hong Kong police's announcement, seven people aged 39 to 72 were arrested on suspicion of violating the new security law. According to Hong Kong media reports, the arrested suspects included Jimmy Lai (Founder of Next Digital Limited), Cheung Kim Hung (CEO of Next Digital Limited), Chow Tat Kuen, Royston (Executive Director and CFO of Next Digital Limited).[4]

Hong Kong publications
  • Apple Daily – Published daily, one of Hong Kong's largest circulation newspapers.[5]
  • Next Magazine – Published on Wednesday evenings, one of Hong Kong's largest circulation news and entertainment magazines.
  • Easy Finder – A teen-focused entertainment magazine.

Monday Book – A set of four magazines sold together for HK$12 on Monday mornings that are more thematically male and commercially focused.

  • Face – Gossip, entertainment and fashion
  • Ketchup – Gadgets, gaming and mobile
  • JobFinder – Jobs and recruitment magazine (sales assistant-level jobs)
  • AutoExpress – Used cars, auto insurance, dating advertisements, car license plates for sale.
  • Trading Express – Classified ads for products, small companies, second-hand watches.

Friday Book – A set of three magazines sold together for HK$12 on Friday mornings that are more thematically female and leisure-focused. At the end of 2008, Next Media relinquished its holding in these three magazines, whose editorial management since early 2009 has been tied to TVB Weekly (the official magazine of Television Broadcasts Limited and owned by a joint venture between Malaysian media conglomerate company Astro All Asia Networks plc (Astro) and Albert Yeung's Emperor Group).

  • Eat and Travel Weekly – Sold to Astro in November 2006.
  • Sudden Weekly – Women-oriented entertainment magazine. Sold to Astro in November 2006.
  • Me – A cosmetics and fashion magazine. Founded by Astro in December 2006.

Hong Kong websites

The Atnext.com network is the No. 1 online Chinese new, information and current events portal from Hong Kong and reaches more than 2 million users per month, audited by Neilsen//Netratings.[6]

Vertical/community portals In addition to original exclusive content and social networking tools, these sites aggregate content from all other sites.

  • Lady – Female-focused portal with strong community
  • Travel – Travel site
  • Education – education guide for students of all levels
  • Motor – Car vertical covering auto reviews and more
  • Life – lifestyle guide on everyday city living
  • Racing – a subscription-based horse racing guide focused on HK and Macau races (HK$1,888 per year)
  • Soccer – soccer fans' guide to everything soccer
  • Health – a vertical channel on medical and health

Taiwan publications
  • Apple Daily – Published daily, one of Taiwan's highest-circulation newspapers
  • Sharp Daily – A free daily newspaper
  • Next Magazine – Published on weekly, one of Taiwan's largest circulation news and entertainment magazines
  • Me (Taiwan version) – A weekly magazine

Structure of Next Media

The top management committee of the company is the Board. The Board is responsible for overseeing the successful of Next Media and devising the company's future strategy. The Board delegates the running of Next Media's day-to-day operations to carefully chosen Executive Directors and Senior Management. The Board looks to the Management to ensure it is apprised of all significant developments that may affect the company and its operations.

There are four committees established by the Board, granted for different kinds of duties.

  • Executive Directors: for the purpose of approving issues and allotment of shares
  • Audit Committee: mainly to assist the Board in its oversight of the integrity of the Company’s financial statements; the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; the external auditor’s qualifications and independence; and the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and external auditors.
  • Remuneration Committee; to review and develop policies in relation to the remuneration of directors and senior management of the Company; to make recommendations to the Board from time to time as may be necessary in relation to such policies.
  • Ad hoc Sub-committee; made up of the financial heads of all major operation subsidiaries.

Senior Leadership

Note: Senior leadership only reflects the structure since the Group's listing in 1999; previously, it was a private company with no formal structure

List of Chairmen
  1. Jimmy Lai Chee-ying (1999–2014); executive chairman
  2. Cassian Cheung Ka-sing (interim Chairman 2014–2016); executive chairman
  3. Ip Yut-kin (2016–2018); non-executive chairman
  4. Jimmy Lai Chee-ying (2018–2020); second term; non-executive between 2018–2020; executive for part of 2020[7]
  5. Ip Yut-kin (2020– )[7]

List of Chief Executives

Note: The position of Chief Executive was not used during the years 2002–2006, as the then-Executive Chairman Jimmy Lai took on CEO responsibilities from his post

  1. Lim Tai-thong (2000)
  2. Pieter Lodewijk Schats (2001)
  3. Stephen Ting Ka-yu (2007)
  4. Jimmy Lai Chee-ying (2008)
  5. Chu Wah-hui (2008–2010)
  6. Chu Wah-hui and Cassian Cheung Ka-sing (2010–2011)
  7. Cassian Cheung Ka-sing (2011–2014; interim CEO 2014–2016)
  8. Cheung Kim-hung (2018– )

Subsidiaries
  • Apple Daily Limited
  • Apple Daily Online Limited
  • Apple Daily Printing Limited
  • Cameron Printing Company Limited
  • Database Gateway Limited
  • Easy Finder Limited
  • Easy Finder Hong Kong Marketing Limited
  • Easy Media Limited
  • Eat and Travel Weekly Company Limited
  • Next Media Animation Limited
  • Next Magazine Advertising Limited
  • Next Magazine Publishing Limited
  • Next Media Group Management Limited
  • Next Media Hong Kong/Publication Publishing Limited
  • Paramount Printing Company Limited
  • Rainbow Graphic & Printing Company Limited
  • Sudden Weekly Limited

See also

References
  1. "CHANGE OF COMPANY NAME, CHANGE OF STOCK SHORT NAME, CHANGE OF COMPANY WEBSITE, FREE EXCHANGE OF SHARE CERTIFICATES AND ADOPTION OF NEW COMPANY LOGO" (PDF). NEXT DIGITAL. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  2. https://twitter.com/HKMarkSimon/status/1292600033473228800 - Via Twitter - Revieved on 10/08/2020 Tweet states: "Jimmy Lai is being arrested for collusion with foreign powers at this time."
  3. "Hong Kong police arrest Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai under new National Security Law". Committee to Protect Journalists. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  4. Net, Xinhua (10 August 2020). "Li Zhiying was arrested on suspicion of violating the Hong Kong National Security Law". Xinhua Net. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  5. May, Tiffany; Ramzy, Austin (12 August 2020). "'We Will Persevere': A Newspaper Faces the Weight of Hong Kong's Crackdown". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  6. Welcome to Pixel Media – Asia's leading interactive media sales network
  7. "RESIGNATION OF DIRECTOR AND CHANGE OF CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD" (PDF).
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