Singapore International Television

Singapore International Television (SITV) (Malay: Televisyen Antarabangsa Singapura)[1] was a Singaporean satellite television channel operated by the Singapore International Foundation. Broadcasting an hour a day with the aim of catering the Singaporean diaspora across Asia, the line-up was offered by SBC and its successor entities.

Singapore International Television
CountrySingapore
Programming
Language(s)English, Mandarin, Malay
Picture format4:3 576i SDTV
Ownership
OwnerSingapore International Foundation
History
Launched1 January 1994 (1994-01-01)
Closed2000 (2000)

History

The SIF announced the start of SITV in November 1993 eyeing for a 1 January 1994 launch date. The channel was going to use the Indonesian Palapa B2P satellite to provide programming for one hour a day, 10pm to 11pm.[2]

SITV's launch was touted as rather unambitious, with a limited staff of only 20 personnel, considered by the South China Morning Post as "the smallest satellite TV launch in history", with deputy director Aileen Lim calling it an "experiment". The station rented a slot on a transponder owned by the Nine Network to broadcast its programming. Test transmission started on 25 December 1993, ahead of the projected launch date.[3] Launch night consisted of two programmes: a special edition of Inside Asia and a live simulcast of News 5 Tonight, both from Channel 5.[4]

The channel launched on the same day as RTB Sukmaindera, under the same arrangement on the same satellite.[5][6] On launch day, a full-page advertisement was given to SITV on the Straits Times.[7]

The channel started off with a limited offering, with initial plans for the channel to increase its programming if time was available. The primary aim was to follow the same aims of the SIF, maintaining the connections Singaporeans in the diaspora had with their birth country and providing a window for Singapore to outsiders.[8]

During test broadcasts, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand have asked SIF for information. There was also the possibility of having its own presenter and selling advertising time.[6]

SITV drew criticism from the Tamil community of Singapore because of its lack of programming in the language, and that viewers wanted the channel to broadcast in other languages, such as Russian and Japanese.[9]The SIF said that, if the service expanded, so would the number of languages, as the choice of language was merely due to the area of the B2P footprint.[10]

The service was made available at the Singaporean embassy in Manila in May 1994.[11]

On 25 August 1995, after an agreement between Singapore and Brunei, it was announced that SITV would move to a new lease on Palapa C-1.[12]

The channel shut down around the early 2000s.

Programmes

SITV had one fixed daily programme, News 5 Tonight, at 10:30pm local time. The other half-hour was filled by content from other SBC/TCS channels in three languages: English, Mandarin and Malay. SIF selected the shows it had for the non-news segments. Certain programmes, such as Talking Point, were left out from the schedule, with the channel aiming to attract non-Singaporeans. Inside Asia was picked because of its content "from the region on the region". The line-up reflected the diversity of Singapore.[6]

English

Mandarin
  • Variety Tonight (Channel 8)[6]
  • Tuesday Report (Channel 8)[6]

Malay
  • Tinjauan (Channel 12)[6]
  • Portret Keluarga (Channel 12)[6]
  • Hiburan Minggu Ini (Channel 12)[6]

References
  1. "Mengembang sayap maklumat kedua". Berita Harian. 10 January 1994. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  2. "S'pore to beam TV shows to Asia". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 11 November 1993. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  3. "Low-key launch for pint-size export TV". South China Morning Post. 31 December 1993. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  4. "Jan 1 launch for SIF's satellite TV broadcasts". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 23 December 1993. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  5. "Brunei TV to introduce satellite broadcasts". The Straits Times. 25 December 1993. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. "S'pore to beam TV shows to Asia". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 2 January 1994. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  7. "PM to launch new satellite TV service". The Straits Times. 1 January 1994. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  8. "PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE, MR GOH CHOK TONG'S SPEECH FOR THE LAUNCH OF THE SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION (SITV) ON SAT. 1 JANUARY 1995" (PDF). NAS. 1 January 1994. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  9. "No Indian items on SIF broadcasts?". The Straits Times. 14 February 1994. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  10. "It's more brickbats for 'Same Boring Channel'". The Straits Times. 17 March 1994. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  11. "TV news about Singapore available in Manila". The Straits Times (retrieved from NLB). 19 May 1994. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  12. "S'pore accepts Brunei's offer of satellite space". The Straits Times. 26 August 1995. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  13. "Singaporeans who have made Suzhou home". The Straits Times. 19 April 1996. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
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