FMT, Keluar Sekejap join forces in landmark media alliance

The alliance pairs the country's biggest bilingual news company with its biggest current affairs podcast, launching with Future Speaks.

Signing a memorandum of collaboration yesterday, the two companies announced Future Speaks, the partnership’s first co-branded programme featuring emerging public voices, with both companies signalling further joint initiatives to come.

FMT executive chairman Nelson Fernandez said the alliance unites two organisations with complementary strengths.

“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 he had long considered the collaboration, viewing it as a partnership between two brands challenging the dominance of legacy media.

“We are two exciting media brands challenging legacy media’s hold over news and commentary. So I approached Dato’ Nelson at FMT and asked if we could work together, and even produce news products jointly, before thinking about anything deeper,” he said.

“We set our teams to work and came up with something fresh, something that draws on the strengths of both KS and FMT, and something I believe can grow into much more.”

FMT managing director Azeem Abu Bakar said the alliance would combine the distinct strength of both companies, with each offering something the other does not have presently.

“KS and FMT both look at policy, politics, the economy and where business and politics meet. What KS does brilliantly is in-depth interviews that go deep into the thinking of the people they speak to,” he said.

“FMT loves reporting the news and explaining it simply, so people can understand. Combining those strengths creates a unique proposition that we hope is unmatched. That is the blueprint.”

Keluar Sekejap director Shahril Hamdan said the tie-up challenged the old assumption that a news organisation and a podcast had to be rivals.

“We come from different parts of the media landscape, but FMT is one of the more ambitious and forward-thinking news organisations. This is about cross-platform amplification, and helping each other produce output that, on our own, we might not manage,” he said.

In a subsequent Keluar Sekejap episode, Khairy described the arrangement as two established brands pooling their strengths.

“KS brings a platform, hosts and an audience that has trusted us for a long time, and FMT comes in as a media powerhouse, one of the most influential news portals in Malaysia. This is not a podcast being given coverage. These are two big brands combining their respective strengths,” he said.

“Through this collaboration with FMT, which has very wide news influence in Malaysia that today may even surpass that of the mainstream or legacy news agencies, we feel this platform can grow Keluar Sekejap even further.”

Future Speaks

Future Speaks will identify emerging leaders in politics, business and public policy and give them a stage to share their ideas, with each appearance amplified through FMT’s reporting and follow-ups.

Khairy said the programme was aimed at a younger generation that felt disconnected from politics and policy.

“Through Future Speaks, we want to identify younger individuals who can carry the conversation to the nation,” he said.

“A lot of young people, Gen Z, have strong opinions and ideas but feel disconnected from politics and current affairs, perhaps because the usual format does not resonate with them. We want to bring that conversation to them and ask them to be part of it.”

Shahril said the programme combined two things the partners each did well.

“It is the curation of new talent, and cross-platform amplification. Put those two things together, and that is really the crux of the partnership,” he said.

Azeem said Keluar Sekejap had a track record of raising the profile of lesser-known guests, and FMT would extend that reach.

“Some personalities who were less known gained real visibility after appearing on Keluar Sekejap. FMT will amplify those conversations through our news pieces and follow-ups, so together we give new talent visibility,” he said.

“One day, some of them could become future leaders of this country.”

A changing media landscape

The alliance comes amid a steep and sustained contraction in the advertising market that funds most Malaysian media. Total advertising expenditure fell by around 22% in 2025, according to Kenanga Research, with the bulk of digital ad spending going to global platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok rather than local publishers.

Publishers have also lost search traffic as AI tools increasingly answer queries directly, and recent company filings show most Malaysian media companies either losing money or operating on thin margins.

Against that slide, which has shown no sign of reversing, FMT and Keluar Sekejap are among the few that became profitable while expanding their reach.

Azeem said the alliance was a response to an industry that had been permanently disrupted, and a signal to others in the sector.

“This industry is changing and it is becoming really challenging for media. In our own ways, we have managed to make it work. What we are trying to do is combine what works and bring out the best of both to build something that lasts,” he said.

“Everyone will need to look hard at what they are good at, and where possible, collaborate so they can offer something valuable. For us, this alliance is that. We want to focus on analysing current issues, understanding different perspectives, and explaining them to the masses effectively.”

A neutral platform, open to all

Khairy, who has returned to active politics with Umno, addressed concerns from some listeners that his position might colour the platform, saying Keluar Sekejap would remain neutral.

“Many are worried about my position because I have rejoined Umno, and some feel that shapes my views. That is exactly why KS must always remain a neutral space,” he said.

“For Future Speaks, we have already met members from other parties. Our vision is that KS is a place where everyone is represented.”

Shahril said the alliance would put the audience the two brands had already built to work in surfacing new talent.

“We already have a platform, an audience and followers, so why not open that up to talent that not only KS looks for, but FMT can find too. FMT has long tried to do the same thing, and has its own networks that in some areas are wider than ours,” he said.

“If they can bring these voices onto the shared platform, we will give them full coverage, whether in the Peninsula or in Sabah and Sarawak. We will keep it non-partisan and open to all sides, and every episode will be driven by both KS and FMT.”