Sun Daily Newspaper Malaysia (now branded as theSun) is Malaysia’s first national free daily newspaper in tabloid form. Available from Mondays to Fridays except on public holiday, with a target audience of white-collar workers and urban youth.
It is published by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd, which is part of the Berjaya Media Berhad (formerly known as Nexnews Berhad). theSun was launched on June 1, 1993, which was originally The Sun. It stopped publication on June 30, 1994 for a revamp, and resumed a month later. It became a free newspaper in 2002. Home delivery is available at RM0.30.
Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (SMCSB) was incorporated in Malaysia under the Act on 19 July 1991 as a private limited company under the name of Fikiran Abadi Sdn Bhd. On 8 December 1994, it changed its name to Sun Media Group Sdn Bhd before assuming its present name on 22 August 1998.
The principal activity of SMCSB is the publication of theSun newspaper, an English language national daily that was launched in 1993. On 8 April 2002, theSun newspaper was relaunched as a free national daily.
On 4 March 2008, Berjaya Corporation Berhad acquired a substantial stake from the holding company, Nexnews Berhad, and consequently SMCSB has been announced to be a subsidiary of Berjaya Corporation Berhad. On 23 April 2008, Nexnews Berhad changed its name to Berjaya Media Berhad.
As of 2010, theSun prints and distributes 300,512 copies a day to approximately 3,337 targeted distribution points, called SunSpots (office buildings, condominiums, LRT stations, fast food outlets), primarily in the Klang Valley, also known as Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area. People can also get a copy of theSun in almost all Malaysian 7-Eleven stores or pay a newsvendor to deliver the paper to homes. The paper’s circulation is audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC).
In 2006, prompted by the rising demand for copies and advertisers’ thirst for a wider reach, theSun, increased its print run by 76%. The increase took place in two phases, the first on 8 March, with circulation bumped up to 230,000 from 150,000 previously. The second phase saw circulation rising by another 15% to 265,000 copies on 2 October. Out of that, 215,000 copies are distributed in the Klang Valley, solidifying theSun’s position as the top English daily in the nation’s top consumer region.