For more than 87 years, Tamil Murasu has been the trusted voice of the Tamil-speaking community in Singapore. Yet, as digital consumption patterns evolved and the dominance of English increased, we faced a stark challenge: How do we engage younger Tamil audiences and help them reconnect with their language and heritage?

Our data revealed a concerning trend: Tamil Murasu’s print and Web audiences were predominantly aged 26 to 54. Engagement among the 15- to 34-year-old age group, especially youth, stood at just 6%. Compounding this was the rapid shift toward English content in their daily lives, leaving Tamil language resources underutilised and often overlooked.

Competing platforms like Seithi Mediacorp were already catering to Tamil speakers. Still, we saw an opportunity to offer something more: a product that wasn’t just about news but about rediscovering identity, culture, and language in a way that resonated with today’s tech-savvy youth.

Building a digital-first experience

After a series of focus group discussions and feedback sessions with more than 60 young participants, a clear message emerged: youth wanted practical, relevant, and engaging content that helped them stay connected to their roots but in a modern, intuitive format.

This feedback shaped the Tamil Murasu App design to be more than just another news application. It was built as a bilingual digital space where users could toggle between Tamil and English effortlessly. We introduced interactive features that appeal to younger audiences, including:

• Word Quiz, which helps users strengthen their Tamil vocabulary in a fun, gamified way.
• AI Summary, which provides quick, bite-sized news updates for users on the go.
• Interactive widgets where users can access cultural content like horoscopes, events, and grandma’s remedies in a fun way.
• A rich multimedia section, including short videos, podcasts, and photo galleries tailored for modern content consumption.

Turning vision into reality

Development for the app kicked off in April 2023, with iterative testing and validation loops involving Gen Z participants at every stage. On October 29, 2023, Tamil Murasu proudly launched the app, featuring a sleek design and the core elements young users requested.

The impact was immediate and encouraging. As of today, the Tamil Murasu App has surpassed 27,000 installs, with a 15% month-on-month growth in active users. Younger audiences now make up 60% of the app’s user base, a significant leap from the earlier 6% engagement.

Users are spending 40% more time per session compared to the website, and the app boasts an impressive 4.8-star rating on Android and a 4.7-star rating on iOS. Features like the Word Quiz and AI Summary have become popular tools for users to engage with the Tamil language in ways that are both fun and functional.

Perhaps the most gratifying outcome is the thousands of shares and interactions on culturally significant content, signalling a renewed interest in Tamil heritage among the younger generation.

Looking ahead

The Tamil Murasu App is more than a digital product — it’s a movement to reconnect Tamil youth with their culture, language, and identity.

As we continue to innovate and refine the experience, we envision the app becoming the go-to digital hub for Tamil-speaking communities in Singapore and beyond.

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