Kosmo!

For other uses, see Kosmo (disambiguation).

Kosmo!

Front page on 27 April 2021
Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Compact
Owner(s)	The Utusan Group (2004–2019) [1] Media Mulia Sdn Bhd (2020–present)
Publisher	Mohamad Azlan Jaafar
Editor	Wan Hasnan Wan Hasan
Deputy editor	Jamdi Nasir
News editor	Megat Ramli Megat Raof Mustapa Lakawa Turmadzi Madun Atikah Dali Suhana Md Yusop Siti Kamilah Mustapha Muhammad Firdaus Hassan
Sports editor	Sopi Samaile
Founded	August 30, 2004;20 years ago (2004-08-30)
Language	Malay
Headquarters	Level 4 (East) & 5, Quattro West No. 4 Lorong Persiaran Barat 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Circulation	187,967 (daily) 205,520 (Kosmo Ahad) *Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations, Malaysia; July – December 2015 [2] [3]
Website	www.kosmo.com.my
Free online archives	www.kosmo.com.my

Kosmo! (short for Cosmopolitan; Malay: Kosmopolitan) is a Malay-language compact format newspaper tabloid in Malaysia owned by the Utusan Group, which also owns Kosmo!'s Sunday paper Kosmo! Ahad, Utusan Malaysia , and Mingguan Malaysia. ^[1] It is available in Malaysia at most newsstands.

History

Kosmo! was launched on 30 August 2004 by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, ^[4] featuring exclamation marks in all section titles. Initially priced at RM0.80 (RM1.00 for Sunday's Kosmo Ahad), its rates increased to RM1.00 daily and RM1.20 on Sundays by April 2007, later standardizing at RM1.00 for all editions by July 2016. ^[5]

Financial struggles and closure (2019)

Facing declining circulation, parent company Utusan Melayu announced on 19 August 2019 that Kosmo! and Utusan Malaysia would cease operations, ^[6] but temporarily resumed after a RM1.6 million bailout from UMNO. ^[7] The papers permanently closed on 10 October 2019 due to unresolved debts. ^[8]

Relaunch under Media Mulia (2020–present)

In January 2020, tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary's Media Mulia Sdn Bhd acquired the titles, ^[9] relaunching Kosmo! on 20 July 2020 with:

• Redesigned layout
• Increased entertainment coverage
• Digital-first strategy ^[10]

The Sunday print edition (Kosmo Ahad) was discontinued in October 2021 to focus on digital platforms. ^[11] As of 2024, the paper competes with Harian Metro and Sinar Harian as a compact Malay-language tabloid, maintaining print distribution in Peninsular Malaysia alongside its digital edition. ^[12]

See also

• Other Malay-language newspapers in Malaysia:
  • Berita Harian
  • Harian Metro
  • Utusan Malaysia
  • Utusan Borneo , a newspaper publication for the state of Sabah and Sarawak
  • Sinar Harian

References

1. "About Utusan". Utusan Group. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
2. "CIRCULATION FIGURES : NEWSPAPERS - WEST & EAST MALAYSIA" (PDF). Abcm.org.my. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
3. "CIRCULATION FIGURES : NEWSPAPERS - WEST & EAST MALAYSIA" (PDF). Abcm.org.my. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
4. "PM Lancar Akhbar Kosmo!". Utusan Malaysia. 31 August 2004. p. 1.
5. Malaysian Newspaper Price Trends 2004–2016 (Report). Audit Bureau of Circulations Malaysia. 2016. p. 14.
6. "Utusan, Kosmo! Teruslah berjuang". Utusan Malaysia. 22 August 2019.{{cite news}}: |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help)
7. Buang, Shakira (20 August 2019). "Utusan gets RM1.6m reprieve from Umno". Malaysiakini.
8. "Utusan ceases publication". The Star. 10 October 2019.
9. "NUJ confirms Utusan revival". Malaysiakini. 24 January 2020.
10. "Kosmo! kembali berwajah baharu". Kosmo! Online. 20 July 2020.
11. "Kosmo! Ahad dihentikan". Kosmo! Online. 25 October 2021.
12. Malaysian Media Landscape 2024 (Report). Comms8. 2024. p. 22.

External links

• Utusan Group Official Site (in Malay)
• Official newspaper's website (in Malay)
• The Prime Minister's Speech at the Launching Ceremony of Kosmo!