PETALING JAYA: Star Media Group (SMG) is launching an advertisement-free premium plan for The Star Digital Access membership.

       The premium plan provides an ad-free reading experience and full access to TheStar.com.my and its mobile app for only RM13.90 per month, or RM148 for a year-long subscription.

       Readers can subscribe to The Star Digital Access membership via their web browser, through selected mobile network providers or via The Star Malaysia app.

       A free trial of the digital membership plan will be available to new customers for 30 days.

       Digital Access members will get daily access to news, features, videos, interactive graphics and more.

       “At the heart of the content we put out is the hard work of our journalists, photographers and videographers, and this plan allows us to sustainably support journalism while building a new user experience,” said news subscription head of The Star Digital Access Jenny See.

       This commitment to quality journalism also saw an annual worldwide study of news trends ranking The Star as the top English-language news portal in brand trust scores in Malaysia among surveyed brands.

       “The new premium plan will provide members with uninterrupted access to all the latest news and updates, without advertisements,” she added.

       While print provides an in-depth picture of major issues, the online platform serves up instant analysis of news as it unfolds and rich multimedia content.

       On the web, users will only be able to trial the standard plan.

       On the app – which is fully optimised for seamless, anywhere-you-go reading, with built-in features such as Apple Watch support, customisable navigation, offline reading, and dark mode.

       Membership is non-contractual and can be cancelled at any time.

       Existing members to the one-year standard plan can upgrade to the premium plan at a special price and will only need to top up RM5 per remaining membership subscription month.

       For instance, if a member has six months remaining in his membership, he can upgrade to the premium plan by topping up an additional RM5 per month.

       The special price for the upgrade is valid for a limited time only.

       In addition to an enhanced reading experience, members of the one-year premium plan will be eligible for a Gold StarTreats membership.

       Gold members will be entitled to perks such as exclusive promo codes, extra discounts on Star Media Group products and double entries to monthly StarTreats giveaways.

       While non-members will be able to access a select number of articles per month, members will get unlimited access as well as member-only premium content.

       Breaking news of national importance will continue to be provided for free.

       For more details, visit thestar.com.my/subscribe or download The Star Malaysia app from App Store, Google Playstore or Huawei AppGallery.

       A list of frequently asked questions is found at thestar.com.my/FAQs.

       Those interested can contact customerservice@thestar.com.my or the Customer Service Hotline at 1-300-88-7827 (Monday – Friday, 9am to 5.30pm except public holidays).