According to CASBAA, the media industry in Singapore is expected to grow by 25.8% between 2010 to 2015− reaching a value of about 2.3 billion in 2015. MediaCorp remains the sole provider of Singapore’s freeto- air (FTA) content, offering seven channels.
StarHub (Cable TV) and SingTel (IPTV) are the only two dominant pay-TV operators in the country, regulated by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA). With MDA’s cross-carrying channel rule in place, the two operators have learnt to put their differences aside in most issues, including the notable case regarding the Barclays Premiere League content.
Also, the Singapore Media Festival 2015 (SMF) returns this year with a stronger line-up for global media players and the public. Five events will be held including the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF), ScreenSingapore (SS), Asian Television Awards (ATA) and the latest addition, Digital Matters.
This year, SMF decided that digital content will be the way forward to the global audience. This is evident with the inclusion of Digital Matters, The Future of Cinema forum series at the SGIFF, as well as the ATF’s premarket conference that sheds light on digital content trends and evolving business models.
Pay-Tv In Singapore
According to Statistics Singapore, pay-TV subscribers have increased by about 38.6% from an estimated 694,000 in 2009 to 962,000 subscribers in 2014. Pay-TV subscription has also increased by 26.2% from 2003 to 2013.
In efforts to promote the local media scene, StarHub has partnered MDA to produce the ‘Go Local Campaign’ in 2014 where local productions would be parked under. These productions will be available on StarHub TV Anywhere, as well as the StarHub Buddy app, making it easier for Singaporeans to watch local movies and dramas.
Besides offering local productions, StarHub TV Anywhere also provides access to many other content including NBCUniversal International Television’s Diva, Syfy and Universal Channel. This was made possible because of their partnership reinforcement which began in 2008.
Offering a new and improved interface, StarHub has also launched a new set-top box in partnership with Samsung. According to Asia Media Journal, the new set-top boxes are meant to restrain boxbased piracy. StarHub – which is also a mobile service provider in Singapore – has continued its partnership with Tektronix Communications, where it was appointed to provide Radio Access Network (RAN) performance assurance for StarHub customers all year round.
Using the GeoSoft RAN probes, in combination with Tektronix Communications’ Iris Session Analyser (ISA) and touch point TM customer care solutions, StarHub will achieve a full-service, end-toend monitoring solution, to provide mobile access and customer experience assurance. GeoSoft RAN probes extract real-time, geolocated performance data, whilst ISA’s Call Trace functionality monitors signalling from the device all the way through the network.
MediaCorp’s OTT solution, Toggle introduced a refreshed website, Toggle.sg, offering users a brand new viewing experience and exciting new entertainment and lifestyle content, including video-on-demand for free. The website also offers an optimised viewing experience across all mobile devices. Toggle is also available as an app on iPhone, iPad, Android devices, Smart TVs and most recently in March 2015, Microsoft Xbox One.
Toggle now has several channels including Toggle-it-First – that enables viewers to watch MediaCorp dramas ahead of the rest – and also Toggle Prime which offers more content to subscribers including 20 premium channels and over 20,000 on-demand titles. Free content is also available. Toggle KidsZone was created to banish the worry of parents as it filters content to children’s suitability. In May 2015, Toggle launched Toggle Laughs, a platform presenting curated comedic content.
In October 2014, Toggle signed a multi-year SVOD licensing agreement with Disney which included the first ABC Studios On Demand offering in Singapore. In the agreement, Toggle has added onto their service, an array of series from ABC Studios On Demand and movies from Walt Disney Studios, including movies from Pixar, Marvel and Disney. The movies from classics like Dead Poet’s Society to Marvel hits like Iron Man can be found at the subscription video on demand service.
After announcing the launch of MiBox in August last year, M1 Limited (M1) – another telecommunication operator – has worked with MediaCorp in August 2014 to allow subscribers convenient access to Toggle Prime. MiBox is an internet TV service that offers VOD entertainment and educational titles, games, e-books and apps. The service comes bundled with an Android set-top box and a selection of free dramas, variety shows and other content.
Transition to digital television
In July 2014, M1 was appointed by MDA to manage the Digital TV Assistance Scheme. The scheme was initiated to target low-income families in Singapore where it helped households transit to digital television. Eligible families not only received a DVB-T21 (Digital Video Broadcasting – Second Generation Terrestrial) set-top box but also an indoor antenna and a complimentary installation service.
In October 2014, MDA officially launched the Digital TV Assistance Scheme where about 160,000 households are expected to benefit from it, according to MDA’s Chief Executive Officer. In their efforts to reach out to low-income households, MDA has worked with various agencies, such as the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Ministry of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Health, People’s Association and self-help groups.
MDA has also proposed stricter rules to the two pay-TV operators to protect subscribers. In efforts to provide more protection to consumers, MDA has put in place new rules due to the increase in package prices by StarHub and SingTel. Feedback was sought by the regulator to subscribers regarding the rules and if ratified, will provide more power to TV viewers.
Media hubs in Singapore
The building of a media hub, Mediapolis @one-north – which is slated to be completed in 2020 – will house a media ecosystem of soundstages with green screen capabilities, digital production and broadcast studios, as well as interactive digital media (IDM) and R&D facilities.
In January 2014, Infinite Studios – an anchor tenant at Mediapolis, officially opened its studios at the media hub. The integrated media entertainment company has played host to Singapore’s first two soundstage studios designed in consultation with Hollywood based Raleigh Studios, one of the world’s largest operator of soundstage production facilities.
In the same month, the award-winning Sandcrawler Building officially opened in a ceremony with the presence of Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy and filmmaker George Lucas. The state-of-the-art building is the regional headquarters for Lucasfilm Singapore, The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) and ESPN Asia-Pacific. With the worldclass facility and the talent housed within its walls, Lucasfilm Singapore
will continue the groundbreaking animation and visual effects work that it is known for, including supporting the upcoming Star Wars movies. In July 2015, ST Telemedia invested S$36.9 million for a 70 percent stake in StarHub’s unit at the MediaHub, a specialised telecommunications, media and data centre facility, located at Mediapolis. MediaHub will be StarHub’s convergence hub for its fixed and pay-TV networks.
Besides the Mediapolis and the Sandcrawler Building, Pacific Television Centre (PacTV)– a Los Angeles-based independent global transmission and production company – has announced its upcoming PacTV Singapore Hub. The three-part expansion will consist of a newly managed HD-SDI router located in Singapore, expanded connectivity into and out of the area and the expansion of PacTV Downlinks-on-Demand (DOD) content aggregation system into Asia.
This new Hub will be connected to various Asian broadcasters including MediaCorp. With the direct connection to MediaCorp, PacTV will be able to offer a number of broadcast services for its Australian and other international clients.
Increasing initiatives to improve industry standards
Recognising the industry’s need to better understand pay-TV viewing and its reach, StarHub partnered Nielsen to launch StarHub SmarTAM, Singapore’s first Television Audience Measurement system using Return Path Data (RPD) technology, late September 2015. StarHub has also commissioned Nielsen to support the subscription and sales of SmarTAM data.
The TV audience measurement system tracks both real-time and time-shift viewing of TV content and advertising spots across more than 200 StarHub TV channels. StarHub SmarTAM has the ability to provide highly accurate and dynamic audience segmentation, track specific media consumption habits and facilitates advertising campaign retargeting beyond TV in real-time.
The Beijing Film Academy (BFA) and Singapore Media Academy (SMA) announced in October 2015, the launch of the prestigious curriculum of the Diploma in Filmmaking in Singapore. BFA and SMA are hoping to nurture the next generation of media leaders who are truly international through this cross-cultural collaboration. SMA will accept the first intake of the diploma course in early 2016.
The SMF this year has opened up more avenues for strategic partnerships, creative collaborations and investment opportunities into the region. This is most evident from the Southeast Asian Film Financing Project Market (SAFF) where 10 in-development fiction and non-fiction feature film projects will be matched with commissioners, investors and co-production partners. The SAFF received an overwhelming response with a total of 148 project submissions from 22 countries as at 30 September this year. ATF 2015 will also host several masterclasses for budding producers.
On the global-scale
In other news, Viddsee raised USD2.3 million after bringing Japan-based CyberAgent Ventures (CAV) as the lead investor in its latest round of funding to develop the new wave of mobile-powered cinema, starting with Asia.
Singapore stormed to the global market when it headed to MIPCOM 2015 with more than 600 hours of Asian content. MDA had led a delegation of 16 Singapore media companies to Cannes, including live action and animation producers and distributors.
In October 2015, MDA, MediaCorp and Oak3 Films announced that Spelling Armadillo has been nominated for the 4th International Emmy Kids Awards in the category of Kids: TV Movie / Mini-Series. This is the first time a Southeast Asian production is nominated under the Kids: TV Movie / Mini-series category in the International Emmy Kids Awards.
The Singaporean market has been growing steadily the past year. The media industry has been receiving a spike in support from areas including financing, platforms to showcase work and more. The Singapore government has recognised the TV and film industry a lot more recently with the introduction of various grants and schemes in place, as well as the introduction of festivals and events to showcase talents.
