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NewsLoop wants to break the language barrier in Southeast Asia

NewsLoop director Alex Fenby shares on how the app is different from other news aggregator apps like Flipboard and Pulse.

While the print industry took a blow from the advent and proliferation of the world wide web, many of these publications quickly moved online to avoid being left behind. NewsLoop, a content aggregator for mobile, is a subsidiary of SingTel, a Singaporean telecomm company which has acquired several companies throughout the APAC region. Southeast Asia is incredibly fragmented in terms of language, race and culture. Alex Fenby, director at NewsLoop, shares that the app, available on both iOS and Android, offers both local and English language content. “In Indonesia, for example, we have partnered with some of the best Bahasa Indonesia websites and portals. We’re doing the same in other countries we are planning on launching in.”

[NewsLoop is Echelon 2013‘s official app partner. You don’t want to miss a thing! Grab your tickets to attend Asia’s largest tech conference today.] Currently, NewsLoop has a presence in Singapore, Australia and Indonesia and will continue its efforts to expand regionally in the coming months. However, there are so many news aggregator apps, like Flipboard and Pulse, for instance. How would an app like NewsLoop differentiate itself from its competitors? Alex noted that it is their focus on local content and Asian users that will set them apart from their rivals. “In each country that we roll out NewsLoop, we aggregate the best of local content, from mainstream media to long tail bloggers. We then combine that with global media brands like the BBC or ESPN. That combination gives users a highly relevant and engaging experience across the more than 30 news and lifestyle categories we offer.”

The app has done relatively well since they launched on the iPad last July. Alex added that since then, they have added an iPhone and Android smartphone version. In Singapore, they have seen about 300 reviews with an average 4-star rating as they consistently get listed in the Top Five of the iTunes News category. What then are the most popular publications in Southeast Asia? Alex noted that big names like Channel News Asia, BBC and ESPN are very popular, but people also enjoy reading content from long-tail bloggers. “We combine major media brands with small bloggers in our 30 news and lifestyle categories. It is all about quality content, so that whenever users open up NewsLoop they see articles they want to read. Another great feature of NewsLoop is that it remembers what you have read so that the next time you open up the app it surfaces articles from your favorite publications. That way you’ll never miss your favourite content.”