Free Malaysia Today (FMT) and Keluar Sekejap have joined forces in a landmark media alliance, bringing together one of Malaysia’s biggest bilingual news companies and one of the country’s biggest podcast channels for current issues and analysis.
The long-term partnership will kick off with Future Speaks, a co-branded programme featuring emerging leaders in politics, business and public policy.
A new media alliance
FMT executive chairman Nelson Fernandez said the collaboration brings together two organisations with strengths that complement each other.
Keluar Sekejap has set the benchmark for serious interviews and analysis in this country. FMT is a full-fledged media organisation with multiple sections, wide reach and a robust news operation,” he said.
“Together, we form a media powerhouse for current issues, policy and business.”
Keluar Sekejap director Khairy Jamaluddin said the collaboration would help create more room for new leaders to be heard beyond the usual political sound bites.
Keluar Sekejap has always believed that Malaysians respond to serious, honest conversations,” he said.
“Future Speaks allows us to open that space to a wider group of emerging leaders who have something meaningful to say.”
Media industry under pressure
The partnership comes at a time when Malaysia’s media industry is facing continued pressure, especially with the shrinking advertising market that funds most local media companies.
According to Kenanga Research, total advertising expenditure fell by around 22% in 2025, with much of digital ad spending going to global platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok instead of local publishers.
On top of that, publishers have also been losing search traffic as AI tools increasingly answer queries directly.
Recent company filings also show that most Malaysian media companies are either losing money or operating on thin margins.
Despite the challenging landscape, FMT and Keluar Sekejap are among the few media companies that have managed to grow their reach while becoming profitable.
Until now, both had done so separately.
FMT managing director Azeem Abu Bakar said the alliance was a response to an industry that has been permanently disrupted.
Advertising has shrunk, AI is changing how people find news, and most media companies are under real pressure. Our answer is to combine what works,” he said.
“On our own, each of us found a way to grow while the industry was shrinking. We know how hard this market is, and we take nothing for granted. Coming together gives us a better chance of building something that lasts.”
He added that each episode under the partnership would feed into wider coverage across FMT’s platforms, with a single strong interview being turned into reporting, explainers, videos and follow-up analysis.
“This is a long-term alliance. Future Speaks is the start, and we will build from here,” he said.
Future Speaks to feature emerging leaders
The first project under the alliance, Future Speaks, will feature emerging leaders from politics, business and public policy, including voices from both Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak.
The programme is designed as a non-partisan platform that welcomes a broad range of views while focusing on substantive national issues.
Keluar Sekejap director Shahril Hamdan said the programme would help identify and test new public voices in a more structured way.
There are many capable Malaysians with ideas, but not all of them have access to a credible national platform,” he said.
“This collaboration gives them that platform, while allowing audiences to engage with them through deeper conversations.”
Topics, guests and hosts under the partnership will be jointly curated by both teams.
