Managing Director of Channel NewsAsia, Ms Debra Soon, sounding the gong at the relaunch event.

 

 

Singapore – Regional broadcaster, Channel NewsAsia, is greeting the new year with live news 24/7, a new look and new programmes to help viewers better “Understand Asia”, the channel’s raison d’etre and new tagline. The expansion plan encompasses significant changes to its programming line-up, and investments in new bureaus and facilities across Asia. This enables the channel to produce more original content and news stories for the additional hours of live broadcasting, 24 hours a day, up from the current 20 hours.

This relaunch was announced at a Champagne Lunch earlier today with the channel’s partners and affiliates at its new Marina Bay Studio. Simultaneous parties were also held in Mumbai, India and Hong Kong to mark this occasion.

“As the locus of the world economy shifts towards Asia, we believe we are well positioned to deliver what we’ve been doing daily since 1999, and help audiences around the world better Understand Asia. We have made substantial investments to provide more business content about Asia, from Asia. We intend to increase our lead in covering South East Asia better than other broadcasters operating here, and we will cover South Asia better. This is all part of the drive to deliver insightful documentaries and programmes for viewers, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said Channel NewsAsia’s Managing Director, Ms Debra Soon.

Beyond the news, Channel NewsAsia is raising the depth of content about Asia with nearly 30%  more hours of current affairs programmes focused on the dynamism and progress of Asia. An example is Power List Asia, which looks at the core of Asian success stories through interviews with top CEOs and tycoons; Extraordinary Asians which profiles the exceptional Asians who inspire the community by contributing in extraordinary ways; and Boomtown Asia which offers a preview of what Asian cities of the future might look like and what is being done now to help make existing cities sustainable, liveable and future-proof. An additional daily newsbelt called News Pulse, from 12am to 6am, tracks world developments overnight for Asia, with breaking news from the U.S. and Europe.

The channel is also streamed live on both its official website and Livestation websites, where they have partnered with YouTube to provide even better quality services for viewers. In addition, Channel NewsAsia has launched a series of marketing initiatives in the region such as the partnership for the CEO World Forum held in Ho Chi Minh City on  January 11. In March 2013, the channel will take its discussion programme, Perspectives, on the road in Jakarta. To be recorded on location live, a high-level panel has been invited to discuss the topic of “Indonesia Rising”.