Singapore – The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) has issued the first Niche Subscription TV Licence to VeeV Interactive Pte Ltd, a wholly-owed subsidiary of Sky Media Pte Ltd for the roll out of a commercial IPTV service focusing on educational content. VeeV is looking to establish its research and development centre in Singapore to expand its digital media business into the region. The licence allows VeeV to offer programmes including scheduled and on-demand TV services, over any delivery platform for up to 100,000 subscribers in Singapore. The Niche Subscription TV Licence is part of the two-tier licence framework MDA introduced in 2007 to facilitate growth of IPTV services in Singapore with greater flexibility offered to operators to roll out services for different market segments. The other licence category, the Nationwide Subscription TV Licence, caters to operators targeting the mass market. The first nationwide IPTV licence was awarded to SingTel in January 2007 for its mio TV service. Ling Pek Ling, director, media policy, MDA said, “MDA is pleased that our pro-business regulatory framework has helped pave the way for new IPTV service providers to enter the market with innovative and diverse programming content. We hope to see more IPTV service providers use Singapore as a launch pad to regionalise their business and test-bed new IPTV technologies and solutions.” MDA does not limit the number of niche licensees and is open to local and overseas IPTV service providers establishing their presence in Singapore.