The Malaysian Insight

What The Malaysian Insight does

The Malaysian Insight is a Malaysian digital news publication operating under the legal entity Petra News Sdn Bhd, headquartered at 115 Jalan Telawi, Kuala Lumpur. Founded in 2017, the platform delivers reporting, editorial, and opinion content on Malaysian politics, the economy, personalities, and current affairs, with additional dedicated sections for pictures, videos, and reader contributions ('Your Insights'). It publishes in three languages — English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese — to reach Malaysia's principal language communities. The product surface consists of a web portal (themalaysianinsight.com) plus dedicated iOS and Android applications, supplemented by RSS feeds, a daily email digest for registered users, and individual journalist social profiles.

The underlying technology is a web-based news platform with a multi-language content management system and a dedicated CDN (turbo.themalaysianinsight.com) for delivery of images and video assets. There is no disclosed use of subscription, paywall, or premium content tiers; all editorial content is freely accessible to readers. The business is funded through third-party advertising displayed across the site, with advertisers invited to contact an in-house sales team. The publication previously suspended operations in March 2018 amid a 'challenging financial environment' before resuming; as of 2024–2025 it is actively publishing under a small editorial team of 11–50 employees led by Editor Kabilan A/L Kandasamy and Assistant Editor Salhan K. Ahmad.

Name

The Malaysian Insight

Legal name

Petra News Sdn Bhd

Website

https://themalaysianinsight.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Malaysian Insight is a Kuala Lumpur-based digital news outlet, operated by Petra News Sdn Bhd, that publishes free Malaysian political, economic, and current-affairs coverage in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese via web and mobile apps, monetised through third-party advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuala Lumpur

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Third-party advertising displayed on the website. Advertisers can contact sales team for ad placements. Terms of Use explicitly mentions advertising material submitted by third parties.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Malaysian Insight is a digital news publication that provides unvarnished reporting and analysis on Malaysia's politics, economy, personalities, and current affairs. It publishes free editorial content organized into News, Other News, Editorial, Voices, Your Insights, Pictures, Videos, and Notices sections, delivered through a website and dedicated iOS and Android mobile applications in three languages (English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese).

Product overview

The Malaysian Insight is a digital news publication offering a unified platform across web and mobile applications. The core product is the news website (themalaysianinsight.com) available in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese, supplemented by dedicated iOS and Android mobile applications for on-the-go news consumption. The publication organizes content into distinct categories including News, Other News, Editorial, Voices, Your Insights, Pictures, Videos, and Notices, along with RSS feed syndication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Malaysian Insight Website A digital news portal providing unvarnished insight into Malaysia's politics, economy, personalities, and issues of the day, available in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese languages, organized into sections including News, Other News, Editorial, Voices, Your Insights, Pictures, Videos, and Notices. Targeted at Malaysian general news consumers.
• The Malaysian Insight iOS App Official iOS mobile application for accessing The Malaysian Insight news content on iPhone and iPad devices, targeted at Malaysian news consumers using Apple hardware.
• The Malaysian Insight Android App (MalaysiaDecides) Official Android mobile application branded as MalaysiaDecides for accessing The Malaysian Insight news content on Android devices, targeted at Malaysian news consumers using Android hardware.
• Daily Digest Email Newsletter Daily curated news digest email delivered to registered users, providing selected news content from The Malaysian Insight to subscribers' inboxes.
• RSS Feeds RSS feed subscription available for automated content updates from The Malaysian Insight, allowing readers to receive new content in their feed reader of choice.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• CNA (Channel NewsAsia): Mediacorp-operated regional digital news network covering Southeast Asia including Malaysia. Comparable category (digital news) with broader regional scope.
• Mothership: Singapore-based digital news publisher with strong social media video focus. Comparable operating model (ad-supported, mobile-first, video-heavy) though serving a different national market.

Direct peers

• The Edge Malaysia: Malaysian digital news publisher focused on business, economy, and policy. Comparable in advertising model and Malaysian political/economic coverage.
• Free Malaysia Today: Malaysian online news publication covering politics, economy, and lifestyle with both English and Bahasa Malaysia editions. Closely comparable in editorial stance, format, and target audience.
• Malay Mail: Long-running Malaysian news brand with a strong digital presence covering politics, business, and current affairs. Comparable in target market and ad-supported model.
• Malaysiakini: Malaysia's largest independent digital news outlet, also offering video (KiniTV) and multi-language editions. Direct competitor for the same advertising-supported, politically engaged Malaysian readership.

Broad incumbents

• The Star (Malaysia): Largest English-language newspaper in Malaysia with substantial digital platform. Wider portfolio offering and significantly larger scale than The Malaysian Insight.
• New Straits Times: Established Malaysian news brand with broad political and business coverage across digital and print. Larger incumbent competing for the same advertiser pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/msianinsight
• Facebookfacebook.com/themalaysianinsight
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/themalaysianinsight

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Malaysian Insight