Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making.
At present, MediaCorp runs 7 television channels and 14 radio channels, making it the largest media broadcaster and provider in Singapore, and the only terrestrial TV broadcaster in that city-state. It is wholly owned by Temasek Holdings, a government-owned investment arm.
History
Before 12 February 2001, MediaCorp was formerly known as:
Television Singapura (15 February 1963 - 27 December 1963)
Television Malaysia (Singapura) (28 December 1963 - 8 August 1965)
Radio Television Singapore (RTS, 9 August 1965 - 31 January 1980)
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC, 1 February 1980 - 31 September 1994)
Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) and Radio Corporation of Singapore (RCS, 1 October 1994 - 11 February 2001)
Important events
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!| Year
!| Date
!| Event
|-
| 1960
| 1 January
| Television Singapura started planning for
television transmission.
|-
| 1963
| 1 January
| Transmission tests begun.
|-
| 1963
| 15 February
| Television Singapura was launched as Singapore's first television station.
|-
| 1963
| 2 April
| Television Singapura officially began broadcasting.
|-
| 1963
| 28 December
| Television Sinagpura renamed as Television Malaysia (Singapura) when Singapore became part of
Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
|-
| 1964
| 1 January
| First advertisement was aired to reduce the station's reliance on subsidies.
|-
| 1965
| 9 August
| Radio and television operations were joined together as Radio Television Singapura (RTS).
|-
| 1966
| 26 August
| TV Broadcasting operations were moved from the Old Broadcast House to its current location at
Caldecott Hill. The Old broadcast house was redeveloped, and used as street scenes in drama series.
|-
|-
| 1974
| 7 July
| Colour television service began with the
1974 FIFA World Cup Final broadcast.
|-
| 1977
| 1 November
| All programmes are now broadcast in colour.
|-
| 1980
| 1 February
| RTS becomes
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), a statutory board.
|-
| 1984
| 31 January
| Channel 12, later
MediaCorp TV12, was launched.
|-
| 1990
| 1 August
| SBC began
Stereo audio broadcasts on all television channels.
|-
| 1994
| 1 October
| SBC becomes
Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS).
|-
| 1996
| 31 March
| Programmes produced by Channel 8 were broadcast in
Republic of China (Taiwan), via the newly-established TCS International cable channel.
|-
| 1999
| 1 March
|
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) was formed.
|-
| 2000
| 31 January
| Prime 12 and Premiere 12 were renamed
Suria and
Central. A Sport channel, SportCity, was launched.
|-
| 2001
| 14 February
|
TVMobile began broadcasting programmes on
SBS Transit buses.
|-
| 2001
| 6 May
|
Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) was given a television broadcasting licence, and
SPH MediaWorks was established. MediaWorks offered two channels
Channel U and
TV Works (later renamed to
Channel i. At the same time, MediaCorp was given the license to print, write and distribute the free daily tabloid
Today.
|-
| 2002
| 12 February
| TCS becomes MediaCorp TV,
MediaCorp TV12, and MediaCorp News.
|-
| 2004
| 17 September
| To stop further economic losses, MediaCorp and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) agreed to merge their free-to-air television and free newspaper operations.
|-
| 2004
| 31 December
| MediaCorp and SPH announced that the merger is legally completed, thereby creating the new holding company MediaCorp Television Broadcasting Arm, which will manages and operates
Channel 5,
Channel 8,
TVMobile,
Channel NewsAsia,
Suria,
Central,
Teletext, and
Channel U, formerly of SPH MediaWorks.
|-
| 2005
| 1 January
|
Channel U joins MediaCorp, and relaunched as
MediaCorp TV Channel U. Its sister channel,
Channel i, ceased broadcasting on this day, due to the limited English TV market in Singapore and 3 years later, it was also relaunched as
MediaCorp TV12 okto.
|-
| 2007
|
|
HD5 was launched, becoming the first free-to-air
HDTV channel in Singapore. Channel 8 celebrated 25 years of Mandarin dramas with an award ceremony, and by producing
The Golden Path, billed as the 25 year anniversary drama series. MediaCorp also launched
MOBTV, an online television service. Radio division was forced to lock listeners from the
United States out of its webcasts, due to royalty rates imposed by the US Copyright Royalty Board.
|-
| 2008
|
| MediaCorp TV came out with a new look and a new forum for Channel 5, Channel 8, and Channel U websites.
|-
| 2008
| 20 October
|
okto was launched, replacing
Kids Central,
SPH MediaWorks Channel i, and
Arts Central.
Vasantham was also launched, replacing
MediaCorp TV12 Central, and
Vasantham Central.
|-
| 2009
| 1 March
| Channel NewsAsia celebrated its tenth anniversary.
|-
| 2010
| 1 January
| TVMobile is discontinued.
|-
| 2010
| March
|
xinmsn, a joint venture between and MediaCorp and
Microsoft, is launched.
|-
| 2015
|
| MediaCorp will be moving out of its premises at
Caldecott Hill to Mediapolis@
one-north Buona Vista by
2015.
|}
Television
MediaCorp offers seven free-to-air terrestrial television channels, and one high-definition channel. As a result of the MediaCorp-MediaWorks merger in late 2004,
Singapore Press Holdings currently holds a 20% interest in MediaCorp's TV operations.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!| Name of Channel
!| Description
|-
| Channel 5 (HD5)
| A 24-hour news and general entertainment channel broadcasting in English.
|-
| Channel 8
| A 24-hour news and general entertainment channel broadcasting in Mandarin Chinese.
|-
| Channel U
| Inherited from SPH MediaWorks in 2005, this is MediaCorp's 2nd Mandarin Chinese channel, and its programming is catered to the youth,
|-
| Suria
| A Malay entertainment channel.
|-
| okto
| An English channel with children, lifestyle, and art programming.
|-
| Vasantham
| A news and general entertainment channel that caters to the Indian community in Singapore.
|-
| Channel NewsAsia
| A 24-hour international English news channel that broadcasts to 10 Asian countries and territories
|}
Notable TV Shows from MediaCorp
TV drama and sitcom series
MediaCorp celebrated 25 years of local Chinese dramas in 2007.
Chinese language
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!| Year
!| Name of Drama
!| Description
|-
| 1982
|
Seletar Robbery實裡達大劫案
| First Singapore
telemovie
|-
| 1984
|
The Awakening霧鎖南洋
| The first blockbuster epic drama
|-
| 199319962002
|
The Unbeatables雙天至尊
| First drama series in Singapore about gambling. Its three seasons were released in 1993, 1996 and 2002 respectively.
|-
| 1996
|
Don't Worry, Be Happy
| The first local Chinese sitcom
|-
| 1998
|
Return of the Condor Heroes神雕俠侶
| The most expensive blockbuster
wuxia drama ever produced by MediaCorp, based on
Louis Cha's novel. The serial made waves in the Taiwan and China markets and was repeated due to overwhelming audience demand. It also made screen idols out of
Fann Wong and
Christopher Lee, who were the charismatic leads.
|-
| 2003
| Always On My Mind
| Starring
Fann Wong, this serial was made to commemorate the sacrifices of the brave members of the Singapore medical profession during the SARS crisis.
|-
| 2003
|
Holland V荷蘭村
| A long-running Chinese drama in Singapore TV history with 125 episodes. Biggest winner in Star Awards 2003, winning best M/F Lead and M/F supporting.
|-
| 2004
|
The Champion任我遨遊
| The drama series about
swimming starred Singaporean and Taiwanese artistes and was extremely popular.
|-
| 2004
|
Double Happiness喜臨門
| A long-running Chinese drama, it had 130 episodes in two parts. The first part was shown from May to August, while the second part began in October
|-
| 2005
|
Portrait of Home同心圓
| A long-running Chinese drama with 100 episodes in two parts. The first part (60 episodes) aired from May to July, while the second part (40 episodes) began in October. Was nominated for best drama serial in 2005, but lost to
A New Life.
|-
| 2007
|
The Peak最高點
| Sponsored by Keppel, filming went as far as Brazil.
|-
| 2007
|
Kinship手足
| MediaCorp's long-running 80-episode Chinese drama in 2007.
|-
| 2007
|
Honour and Passion寶家衛國
| A 20-episode military drama series sponsored by the
Singaporean Ministry of Defence
|-
| 2007
|
Metamorphosis破繭而出
| Channel 8's most watched television drama series in 2007 and was awarded Best Drama Series Award in Star Awards 2007.
|-
| 2007
|
The Golden Path黃金路
| A 30-episode blockbuster drama celebrating MediaCorp's 25 years of local Chinese drama.
|-
| 2008
|
Love Blossoms心花朵朵開
| MediaCorp's long-running 110-episode Chinese drama in 2008
|-
| 2008
|
By My Side不凡的愛
| A 20-episode drama on
AIDS, commissioned by the
Health Promotion Board
|-
| 2008
|
The Little Nyonya小娘惹
| A 34-episode blockbuster drama celebrating MediaCorp Channel 8's 45th anniversary.
|-
| 2009
|
The Dream Catchers未來不是夢
| A 20-episode drama about Singapore's
engineering sector, commissioned by the
Economic Development Board. Filming was conducted in
SIAEC and
Chartered Semiconductor, and was partially filmed in
Japan, the leads were also interviewed by
NHK. This drama was featured on
BBC Asia Business Report.
|-
| 2009
|
The Ultimatum雙子星
| Mediacorp's 30-episode mid-year blockbuster for the year 2009
|-
| 2009
|
Your Hand In Mine想握你的手
| MediaCorp's long-running 180-episode Chinese drama in 2009
|-
| 2009
|
Together當我們同在一起
| A 36-episode mega blockbuster drama celebrating MediaCorp Channel 8's 46th anniversary.
|-
| 2010
|
Unriddle最火搭檔
| A 20-episode police blockbuster for the year 2010
|-
| 2010
|
Breakout破天網
| A 25-episode blockbuster drama celebrating MediaCorp Channel 8's 47th anniversary.
|-
|}
English language
Masters of The Sea (1994) (TV drama)
Growing Up (1996–2001) The longest running English drama in Singapore, span around 60s - 80s.
VR Man (TV Drama) Attempt at making a superhero show with local personality.
Under One Roof, 同一屋簷下 (1994) (The first local English sitcom, criticized for its use of Singlish)
Phua Chu Kang (Local English sitcom, starring Gurmit Singh. Also criticized for its heavy use of Singlish) (1997–2007)
Making Love (Local English comedy, starring Andrea D'Cruz, Celest Chong, Jimmy T, Kevin Verghese) (2000)
Moulmein High (Local English drama, starring Cynthia Koh)
First Touch (Local English drama, starring Edmund Chen, Amy Cheng, Vernetta Lopez, Nick Shen) (2000–2002)
Living with Lydia (Local English sitcom, starring Lydia Sum.)
Oh Carol! (Local English sitcom, starring Carol Cheng.)
After Hours (Local English drama, starring Linda Liao, Utt, Joanne Peh) (2 seasons)
Like My Own (2004)(Local English drama, starring Flora Chan, Zhu Mi Mi, Ho Wen Long, Amy Cheng)
Tiramisu (2005)(Local English drama, starring Sharon Au)
ABC DJ (2006) (Local English sitcom, starring Korean actor Eugene Lee)
Maggi & Me (2006) (Local English sitcom, starring Adrian Pang and Fiona Xie, premieres 25 July 2006)
Yang Sisters (2006) (Local English sitcom, starring Cheng Pei-Pei, premieres 28 September 2006))
Enbloc (2008) (Local English drama, starring Patrick Teoh, Darren Lim, Nick Shen, Nathaniel Ho, Rebecca Lim)
Red Thread (2009) (Local English blockbuster drama, premieres 14 April 2009)
Fighting Spiders (2009) (Channel 5's blockbuster drama, premieres 14 April 2009)
Point of Entry (2010) (Local English Action-drama about an elite team of ICA, premiers 2 December 2010)
News and current affairs
News 5 Tonight (wrap-up of the day's news in English)
Talking Point
Get Real! (The Current Affairs Show in Singapore, hosted by Diana Ser)
The Frontline, 前線追蹤 (The Chinese Current Affairs Show, investigative programme shown every Friday night.)
News Tonight (Daily news coverage in Chinese, first telecast on Channel 8 at 10pm, second telecast on Channel U at 11pm. Hosted by Zhang Haijie and Lin Qiyuan)
Other shows
Crime Watch (Talk about crime prevention, partially based on the German programme. Produced by MediaCorp and Singapore Police Force.)
True Files (Cases of the murders of yesteryears.)
True Courage (The extraordinary courage of some Singaporeans.)
Radio
MediaCorp offers fourteen free-to-air radio channels, as well as
Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) service:
{| class="sortable wikitable"
| MHz
| Station
| Language
| Format
| Website
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 89.7
| Ria 89.7FM
| Malay
| Top 40 (CHR)
| xinmsn.com/ria897
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 90.5
| Gold 90.5FM
| English
| Classic hits
| xinmsn.com/gold90
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 92.4
| Symphony 92.4FM
| English
| Classical
| xinmsn.com/symphony924
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 93.3
| Y.E.S. 93.3FM
| Chinese
| Top 40 (CHR)
| xinmsn.com/yes933
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 93.8
| 938LIVE
| English
| Talk radio
| xinmsn.com/938live
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 94.2
| Warna 94.2FM
| Malay
| General service
| xinmsn.com/warna942
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 95.0
| Class 95FM
| English
| Adult contemporary
| xinmsn.com/class95
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 95.8
| Capital 95.8FM
| Chinese
| Talk radio
| xinmsn.com/capital958
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 96.3
| XFM 96.3FM
| Arab, French,German,Hindi,Japanese,Korean
| General service
| xinmsn.com/xfm963
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 96.8
| Oli 96.8FM
| Tamil
| General service
| xinmsn.com/oli968
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 97.2
| Love 97.2FM
| Chinese
| Easy listening
| xinmsn.com/love972
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 98.7
| 987FM
| English
| Top 40 (CHR)
| xinmsn.com/987fm
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
| 99.5
| Lush 99.5FM
| English
| Adult
| xinmsn.com/lush995
|- style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"
|}
MediaCorp Subaru Impreza Challenge
An annual event that MediaCorp anchors is the MediaCorp Subaru Car Challenge. Much public attention and participation is drawn from the public to this event.
MediaCorp Ad-Xtra
MediaCorp Ad-Xtra (aka MAX) is top advertisers on MediaCorp television channels and TODAY will be rewarded in a new marketing initiative that provides extra mileage as a gesture of appreciation for their continued support in buying into MediaCorp platforms.
Called MediaCorp Ad-Xtra, a top 10 advertiser on MediaCorp television channels (Channel 5/8/U) for the past week will get a 6-second clip of their TV commercial compiled into a 60-second show reel for broadcast on MediaCorp television channels the following week.
The show reel will be broadcast on Channel 5, 8 and U from Wednesday to Sunday, translating into $53,000 worth of airtime for the advertisers.
Top advertisers in TODAY for the past week with a minimum advertising expenditure of $25,000 can look forward to a free advertisement panel that will be published in the following Weekend TODAY edition. As Singapore's leading media company with the most complete range of platforms, MediaCorp will continue to create the best business solutions for its clients to give them more bang for their buck.
See also
Broadcasting in Singapore
Censorship in Singapore
List of Singaporeans
Media of Singapore
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation
Television Corporation of Singapore
List of programmes broadcast by MediaCorp Channel 5
List of programmes broadcast by MediaCorp Channel 8
List of programmes broadcast by MediaCorp Channel U
References
External links
MediaCorp Official Website
Category:MediaCorp
Category:Singaporean media
Category:Companies of Singapore
Category:Temasek Holdings
Category:Magazine publishing companies
Category:Newspaper companies
Category:Television networks
Category:Companies established in 2001
Category:Government-owned companies in Singapore
![MediaCorp 7Princesses 七公主[2006-2009]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110901044341im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n3iT2vRYLJE/0.jpg "MediaCorp 7Princesses 七公主[2006-2009]")
