SPH Media brings authentic AI voices to Malay and Tamil titles

SPH Media has launched BeyondWords-powered AI audio across two major Singapore titles, unlocking a more intuitive way for local language communities to experience the news.

Audiences can now listen to articles on the websites and apps of Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu, Singapore’s leading Malay- and Tamil-language newspapers.

Articles are narrated by hyper-realistic AI voice clones of newsroom journalists, giving both publications a familiar, authentic, and trustworthy voice that’s true to their identity.

Serving local communities with audible news

In Singapore, English is the main language people learn to read and write in, while Malay and Tamil are more often used for speaking. So, many Singaporeans are less confident reading news written in their mother tongue.

For SPH’s Malay and Tamil newsrooms, audio presented a clear opportunity to make their journalism more accessible and unlock new pathways for habit-building, loyalty, and future revenue.

“Sometimes you read the first paragraph and you’re tired because it’s not your natural consumption pattern,” explains Santhosh Vemisetty, Principal Product Manager at SPH Media. “But if you hear the story, it’s simpler. It’s your natural way of consuming content.”

Authentic voices for localized audiences

SPH Media evaluated multiple AI voice providers and found BeyondWords ticked two boxes that mattered most: lifelike quality and editorial control.

“BeyondWords was the first solution where the voices actually felt real, and where we could fine-tune pronunciation to protect editorial integrity.

“But the big differentiator was the CMS. We need human-in-the-loop workflows, not a black-box generator. BeyondWords was the only audio platform that actually aligned with the way we publish news.”

SPH Media used our voice-cloning service to create lifelike AI versions of two trusted newsroom voices, giving listeners a familiar, credible way to experience their journalism.

Here’s an extract of a Berita Harian article, brought to life with Atiyyah Said’s voice clone:

And an extract of a Tamil Murasu article, brought to life by Palanisamy Veerrappan’s voice clone:

“We wanted the audio to feel familiar and trustworthy,” Santhosh says. “So we cloned the voices of presenters who already host our shows and podcasts. They were the strongest voices we had, and the clones sound incredibly natural.”

Launching continuous audio at scale

SPH Media connected BeyondWords to its websites and apps using our Magic Embed integration, ensuring audio articles are generated and embedded automatically.

The audio player provides a continuous playback experience, meaning:

• When one audio article ends, the next one plays automatically
• When listeners scroll to the next article, the audio switches automatically

Users can also see which part of the article is being read and click anywhere to start listening—a natural fit for the read-and-listen habits many bilingual speakers prefer.

“People who start listening to one article often move on to a second, third, or fourth. Around 20 to 25% continue to the next article,” says Santhosh.

SPH Media is also seeing average playback rates for BeyondWords audio reach five times higher than its internal and regional benchmarks. 

But, Santhosh and his team aren’t stopping there: “We’re exploring multiple ways to engage our audience better, whether that’s through offering multiple voice options or launching curated playlists.

“On the commercial side, we’re planning to introduce a sign-up prompt for returning listeners. We’re also looking to launch ad-supported video articles with BeyondWords, to see if we can further monetize that audio attention.”

Want to know how AI audio and video can drive revenue for your media business? Book a demo with our team.