They will incorporate a company to establish an integrated media hub

 

[SINGAPORE] NoonTalk Media has partnered property investment holding company Merak Holdings, to improve the media entertainment company&rsquo s operational efficiency, &ldquo streamline and automate processes, train employees and foster a culture of continuous innovation&rdquo .

 

Merak currently holds a sole industrial property asset in Singapore.

 

Under the partnership agreement, NoonTalk and Merak will incorporate a company, Verve Media Live, NoonTalk said in a bourse filing on Wednesday (Dec 31). It will have an issued and paid-up share capital of S$1,000 comprising 1,000 shares, with 81 per cent held by Merak and 19 per cent held by NoonTalk.

 

&ldquo The purpose of Verve Media Live is to establish an integrated media hub focused on pursuing value-generating opportunities in media production, content development, live-streaming incubation operations and e-commerce,&rdquo NoonTalk said.

 

It added that, under the agreement, Merak will contribute the operational premises at 25 Bukit Batok Street 22 for the duration of the agreement, along with facility management services, resources and &ldquo other relevant expertise&rdquo .

 

&ldquo Through this partnership, Merak and NoonTalk Media aim to cultivate a local creative ecosystem by providing a physical platform to incubate, support, and elevate independent media professionals and their projects.&rdquo

 

NoonTalk&rsquo s subscription of shares in Verve Media Live will be funded by internal resources. The agreement is not expected to have a material impact on the group&rsquo s net tangible assets per share or earnings per share for the 2026 financial year.

 

The independent auditor for Catalist-listed NoonTalk had in October raised doubts about the group&rsquo s ability to continue as a going concern, citing net liabilities and substantial losses for the financial year ended Jun 30.

The remuneration committee has considered defined key performance indicators, performance milestones and market benchmarks

[SINGAPORE] The board of Dasmond Koh&rsquo s NoonTalk Media has defended the salaries of its management despite the company incurring three consecutive years of losses since its listing in November 2022.

 

A fair and systematic approach is adopted in assessing key management remuneration, taking into account defined key performance indicators, performance milestones and market benchmarks, said Cruz Teng, chairman of NoonTalk Media&rsquo s remuneration committee during its annual general meeting (AGM) held on Oct 31. 

 

The committee is satisfied with the commitment and efforts demonstrated by key management and views the company&rsquo s remuneration package to be &ldquo fair and justifiable&rdquo . 

 

Teng said the committee aims to remain competitive in attracting and retaining talent, and expressed confidence that key management personnel are fairly compensated and continues to demonstrate improved performance. 

 

This was in response to a question posed by Bay Guan Seng, on whether the company&rsquo s performance review framework &ldquo reflects a culture of accountability&rdquo . 

 

Among resolutions approved during the AGM was an approval of directors&rsquo fees of up to S$120,000 for the financial year ended Jun 30, 2025. 

 

During the meeting, it was mentioned how Koh, a former DJ and chief executive officer of NoonTalk Media, had &ldquo extended personal loans&rdquo to the company to support its business continuity.

 

Employees and management have shown strong dedication during challenging periods, including taking no-pay leave to support the completion of projects, said Lynda Wee, chairperson of the board. 

 

She added that the company is &ldquo currently in an experimental stage, undertaking calculated risks to explore new opportunities within the industry&rdquo .

 

While certain outcomes may fall outside management&rsquo s control, each initiative provides valuable learning experiences that contribute to NoonTalk Media&rsquo s long-term growth, she noted. 

 

&ldquo In evaluating key executives, the remuneration committee considers their contractual deliverables, lessons learnt and demonstrated commitment,&rdquo she added.

 

In October, the independent auditor for Catalist-listed NoonTalk Media raised doubts about the group&rsquo s ability to continue as a going concern, citing net liabilities and substantial losses for the financial year ended Jun 30.

 

The auditor pointed to several worrying figures as at Jun 30. The group, which includes wholly owned subsidiary NTM Masterpiece, recorded net liabilities of S$396,881. The company itself had net liabilities of S$269,351. The group also incurred a net loss of nearly S$1.8 million and net operating cash outflow of S$900,668 for the financial year.

 

In October, NoonTalk Media defended its business strategy amid the going concern warning. 

 

It launched a new award, the Golden Singa Awards, for Chinese-language films which will increase the visibility of Chinese productions and is developing micro-dramas which it said will create new revenue streams. 

 

During the AGM, Bay also asked whether the shift into micro-dramas was driven by the lower production costs of micro-dramas, or if it was part of a new business strategy.

 

Chief operating officer Jed Tay answered that venturing into micro-dramas aligns with current market trends, particularly as the popularity of the genre has grown rapidly in China and the region. 

 

NoonTalk Media has already launched several projects and plans to increase production, with more releases expected soon.

 

Koh added that although micro-dramas have lower production costs and shorter timelines than long-form dramas, each project is still assessed against a minimum target return. 

 

The growing demand for micro-dramas also enables NoonTalk Media to produce a higher volume of content, which can collectively generate returns comparable to larger projects. 

The group has incurred three consecutive years of losses since its listing in November 2022

 

[SINGAPORE] NoonTalk Media defended its business strategy and cost controls in a bourse filing released on Singapore Exchange (SGX) on Monday (Oct 27) after its independent auditors flagged a &ldquo material uncertainty related to going concern&rdquo earlier this month. 

 

Addressing questions from the Securities Investors Association (Singapore), or Sias, the Catalist-listed media production company outlined its plans to achieve profitability, which hinge on new ventures such as an international film awards show and a push into micro-dramas.

 

The auditor&rsquo s warning, dated Oct 16, was issued in light of NoonTalk&rsquo s financial statements for the financial year ended Jun 30, 2025. The group incurred a net loss of S$1.8 million for the year and net operating cash outflows of S$0.9 million.

 

This marks the third consecutive year of losses since its listing in November 2022. As at Jun 30, 2025, the group&rsquo s accumulated losses have reached S$9.2 million, and it has fallen into a net liability position of S$396,881.

 

Questioning the board&rsquo s effectiveness

Sias questioned how the board has exercised its oversight duties, given the persistent losses and net liability position.

 

NoonTalk&rsquo s board responded that it has &ldquo actively engaged with key management&rdquo on cost optimisation, which it said led to reduced losses and improved revenue. The group&rsquo s revenue increased to S$6.3 million in FY2025 from S$4.4 million in the prior year, while losses narrowed from S$3.8 million in FY2024.

 

Despite the auditor&rsquo s warning, the board also maintained that its going concern assumption remains appropriate, citing cash balances, better cash flows, and the S$2 million interest-free, unsecured loan from ex-DJ and CEO Dasmond Koh.

 

NoonTalk said that it expects its projects, such as The Golden Singa Awards &ndash an annual international Chinese-language film awards show &ndash to &ldquo ensure a steady cash flow&rdquo as it develops, though it anticipates the project will contribute value &ldquo over the medium term rather than immediately&rdquo .

 

The company is also &ldquo actively seeking and assessing key management candidates&rdquo to strengthen its leadership team.

 

The group incurred S$5.76 million in total cost of sales for FY2025.

 

Sias highlighted that the group&rsquo s administrative expenses, at S$2.27 million, significantly exceeded its gross profit of S$493,085, indicating potential inefficiencies.

 

In response to a request for a breakdown of the cost of sales, NoonTalk revealed a sharp spike in subcontracting costs, which nearly doubled to S$4 million from S$2.2 million in FY2024.

 

This offset savings from the group&rsquo s reduction in staff costs, which fell to S$1.7 million from S$2.1 million.

 

NoonTalk pointed out that it has &ldquo optimised&rdquo its staffing over the past three years, shifting towards contract and project-based roles. This has reduced its headcount from over 61 to around 40. 

 

The group&rsquo s corporate expenses saw a decline, dropping to S$1.5 million from S$1.95 million in the previous year.

 

When asked if the board has worked with management to implement a structured cost transformation plan, they responded that &ldquo significant cost savings are expected to materialise in FY2026, with rental expenses being a major contributor to the reduction&rdquo .

 

New ventures and financing

Sias questioned the group&rsquo s new strategic pivots, including the Golden Singa Awards and a focus on &ldquo micro-dramas&rdquo .

 

NoonTalk described the micro-drama projects as a &ldquo vital and strategically aligned growth area&rdquo to tap the nascent local digital content market. It argued that its &ldquo extensive artiste network and comprehensive in-house production capabilities&rdquo give it an edge over smaller independent studios.

 

When asked about potential equity financing, such as a rights issue, and the risk of diluting minority shareholders, the board&rsquo s response was non-committal.

 

It stated it is &ldquo actively exploring a range of financing options&rdquo , and that while equity financing is a &ldquo common and viable option under consideration&rdquo , it is also reviewing &ldquo alternative instruments&rdquo . The board added that it is committed to &ldquo selecting financing solutions that balance shareholder interests&rdquo .

Revenue is up 33% at S$3 million, mainly due to significant growth in the production business segment

 

ENTERTAINMENT company NoonTalk Media&rsquo s net loss for the six months ended Dec 31, 2024, was down to S$878,316 from the S$1.3 million loss in the previous corresponding period.

 

That puts its loss per share at S$0.0044 for the first half of FY2025, from S$0.0064 in the same period a year prior, according to its financials released on Friday (Feb 7).

 

Revenue for the period was up 33 per cent at S$3 million from S$2.3 million, mainly due to significant growth in the production business segment, noted the Catalist-listed company.

 

At the same time, cost of sales grew 26 per cent to S$2.8 million from S$2.2 million, which the company attributed to higher production costs.

 

&ldquo This increase was partially offset by reduced production staff costs resulting from a reduction in headcount during the financial period,&rdquo said NoonTalk.

 

As at Dec 31, 2024, the company has net current assets and net assets of S$639,573 and S$520,753, respectively, comprising cash and cash equivalents of S$951,592.

 

It noted in the statement that its directors believe that, with measures to tighten controls over expenses and better manage the company&rsquo s working capital, it will be able to adequately manage its cash flows and continue to operate as a going concern.

 

The media company noted that its current liabilities as at end-2024 stood at S$2 million, consisting of mainly contract liabilities, lease liability, trade and other payables and provision for restoration cost.

 

&ldquo Contract liabilities decreased by S$180,000 from S$327,000 as at Jun 30 to S$147,000 as at Dec 31, 2024.&rdquo

 

In October last year, NoonTalk Media, whose chief executive is Singaporean actor and television host Dasmond Koh, announced that it would implement various financing measures to ensure sufficient working capital to meet its liabilities up to mid-2025.

 

The measures included tightening controls over expenses, and entering into a S$2 million interest-free loan agreement with Koh.

 

Total liabilities at end-December stood at S$2.7 million, down from S$2.8 million as at end-June.

NoonTalk Media has entered into a $2.0 million interest-free loan agreement with Dasmond Koh Chin Eng, the group&rsquo s CEO and executive director. 

 

As at Oct 9, Koh currently holds a deemed interest of an aggregate of 123,844,288 ordinary shares in NoonTalk, representing a 62.55% stake in the group. 

 

The loan is set to be repaid in full at any point on or after July 1, 2026. 

 

According to the group, proceeds from the loan are expected to go towards NoonTalk' s working capital, business expansion, and cash flow needs.