SPH MediaWorks

SPH MediaWorks Ltd (zh-sp |s=报业传讯 |p=bào yè chuán xùn) was the ephemeral free-to-air terrestrial television broadcaster in Singapore. SPH MediaWorks brought 2 alternative free-to-air terrestrial television channels to the audience in Singapore, in 2001. As of 1 January 2005, SPH MediaWorks had ceased to exist upon the merging of operations with MediaCorp Singapore Pte Ltd (MediaCorp TV) and MediaCorp Studios Pte Ltd.

A subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd, (SPH), SPH MediaWorks was originally set up to create variety and healthy competition with MediaCorp TV Singapore Pte Ltd (MediaCorp TV). MediaWorks is widely praised for injecting more variety in local programming and for its creative innovations.

Merger

On 17 September 2004, however, SPH and MediaCorp Ptd Ltd (MediaCorp) announced that both companies had entered an agreement on merging the television operations of the two companies, of which operates the mainstream free-to-air terrestrial channels; Channel 5, Channel 8, TVMobile, Channel U (优频道) and Channel i. The other free-to-air terrestrial channels: Suria and Central run by MediaCorp TV12 and Channel NewsAsia by Mediacorp News, remained wholly owned and run by MediaCorp Pte Ltd, in contrast to the channels owned by MediaCorp TV Pte Ltd, under the holding company of MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd (MediaCorp TV Holdings) as of 1 January 2005; MediaCorp TV Holdings were 80% owned by MediaCorp and 20% by SPH. The merger was seen as a move to reduce the losses faced by SPH since the launch of Channel U and Channel i, and to reduce the losses in the free newspaper market of “Today” faced by MediaCorp.

Apart from the merging of television operations, the merging package includes the merging of the free newspaper operations of both MediaCorp and SPH. Streats, managed by SPH was merged into “Today”; Streats will cease its independent publication upon the completion of the merger. “Today” continues to be managed by MediaCorp solely.

Milestones

In June 2000, Mr Lee Cheok Yew was appointed as the CEO of SPH Mediaworks Ltd. Between August and November 2000, Mr Man Shu Sum and some of the MediaCorp artistes joined from SPH Mediaworks, the former as Chief Operating Officer of MediaCorp.

In May 2001, Channel U, a Mandarin channel and its English counterpart, TV Works were launched.

In October 2001, UnionWorks, a subsidiary of MediaWorks and NTUC Media was launched; owns and operates UFM 1003 and WKRZ 91.3FM. Both radio stations were simply re-branded and resume operations of Heart 100.3FM and 91.3FM, previously wholly owned by NTUC Media.

In March 2002, TV Works was renamed Channel i.

In December 2002, MediaWorks won the "Broadcaster of the Year" award in "Asia Television Awards". Channel U also bagged the "Channel of the Year" award.

Channel U too organises a charity show, "Ren Ci Charity Show", shortly after being named the Broadcaster of the Year. Ren Ci Charity Show bears similarity to those hosted by MediaCorp. Audience will be fed with intense performance presented by actors, actress and guest, and encouraged to donate, commonly through telephone or mobile phone. However, this program does not make use of material incentive to encourage donations unlike any other charity shows going on then. With the great team effort of the Mediaworks team, in both years of the show under Mediaworks, donations broke previously set records.

Mr Lee Cheok Yew resigned as CEO of SPH Mediaworks in April 2003.

Channel i News won the "Best News Programme" of "Asia Television Award" in December 2003.

In September 2004, MediaCorp Group CEO Ernest Wong struck a deal with SPH CEO Alan Chen to merge their mass-market television and free newspaper. The two media companies have previously been scathed and stifled by stiff and unhealthy competition from each other and the merger is widely seen as inevitable. MediaCorp TV Holdings will be created upon the completion of merging. MediaCorp will have an 80% stake while SPH will own the remainder.

On 31 December 2004, MediaCorp and SPH jointly announced that the merger is legally completed and that Channel i, after being seen as not commercially viable to maintain the channel (mainly due to the small English TV market in Singapore), will cease transmission at 2am, 1 January 2005.

Conclusion

Despite being in the market for merely four years, MediaWorks had managed to emerge as an eminent competitor to the more established MediaCorp. Channel U was much praised for pioneering Mandarin-dubbed Korean dramas as well as Taiwanese TV-serials in their programmes. For example, the TVB longest running drama series "A Kindred Spirit" was highly popular, and resulted in the rival company, MediaCorp, producing local marathon family drama series like Holland V and Double Happiness.

Channel U Programmes

Dramas

Variety

*Exchange Lives 换栖俱乐部
*Dream Challengers 圆梦心计划
*Big Challenge 骨牌真情录
*U Entertainment News U转娱乐圈
*Banzai My Kids 亲子关系
*优先出击
*电视新纪元
*周末FUN轻松 - Variety
*标出新加坡 - Infotainment
*杨门女将 - Drama
*Add Your Service 服务加加加
*如果没有你(Bare Essentials) - Infotainment
*Bon Voyage - Info-tainment
*自游万岁 (Celebrity Travellers) - Variety
*Channel U News
*Crunch Time 转捩点 - Docu-drama (2 seasons)
*e时代爱心勇士(Dream Challengers) - Infotainment
*Food Train 食在必行 (2 Seasons)
*Go East 把把脉抓抓药 (4 seasons)
*Happy Rules 开心就好 - Variety
*Inside Out 非常透视眼 - Current affairs
*Legally Yours 知法不犯法
*Open Sesame 芝麻开门客人来 (2 Seasons) - Variety
*你是哪里人？ (Origin of our Roots) - Infotainmnet
*Renci Charity Show
*Route to Glamour 新卧虎藏龙
*Snap 全星总动员 (3 seasons)
*Ready Steady Go 全民出动抢先玩 (2 seasons)
*Mall and Mall
*Show Me Your Power 斗一斗
*Star Struck 职场大明星 (2 seasons)
*Thank you for the years
*The Next Big Thing 全民偶像星登场
*Tonight I will tell (2 Seasons) 人生导火线
*Top 10 十不相瞒
*Ultimate Tastebuds 食在好吃 (2 Seasons consecutive)
*Yummy King 优选美食王 (3 Seasons)
*综艺无界限 (Variety Unlimited) - Variety
*$2 Wonderfood 食在好便宜
*Mama Mia 食星报喜 (2 seasons)

Channel i

*Ah Girl (3 Seasons) - Sitcom
*Channel i News - Current affairs
*Cue - Current affairs
*Durian King - Drama
*Fat to Fit - Reality
*Heath Matters - Current affairs
*iContact - Current affairs
*i on the news - Current affairs
*i2u - Variety
*Makansutra (4 seasons) - Infotainment
*Perceptions - Drama
*Singapore Shakes - Drama
*Six Weeks - Drama
*The Money Tree - Current affairs
*World Life - Current affairs

TV Works

*The Big Buffet (two weeks run)
*Big Chilli Wednesday
*The Odd Squad
*Jalan Jalan
*The Big Break
*The Mensroom
*Here's A Million (Gameshow)
*After Hours (Talk show)
*It's All In The Body (Info-Ed)
*Dollars & Sense (Current Affairs)

Artists

Transferred to MediaCorp

*Adam Chen
*Adrian Pang
*Ann Kok
*Apple Hong
*Ben Yeo 杨志龙
*Bryan Wong Lok Kiang 王禄江
*Celest Chong 张玉华
*Constance Song
*Darren Lim
*Eelyn Kok
*Ezzan Lee
*Fu Fangling
*Guo Liang 郭亮
*Hu Bing
*Ix Shen
*Kym Ng 钟琴
*Lynn Poh
*Michelle Chia
*Ong Ai Leng
*Quan Yifeng 权仪凤
*Shaun Chen
*Wang Ailing

To Singapore Press Holdings

*Arnold Gay - to print, subsequently to corporate relations
*Evelyn Tan- to circulation, subsequently resigned
*Lin Wanfei 林琬绯
*Lina Ng - to marketing, subsequently to UnionWorkz UFM100.3
*Wang Yanqing - to print, subsequently to UnionWorks UFM100.3
*Zhang Haijie 张海洁 (Helen Cheung) - Offered a contract to MediaCorp, but chose to join UnionWorks UFM100.3 instead
*Zhou Huimin (Chew Huoy Min) - to print

On retainer

*Catherine Tan
*Cynthia Lee - Released, and returned to her career onstage
*Pamela Oei - Released, and returned to a career in the performing arts
*Steph Song

Not offered a contract

*Adrian Lim - Currently heads a Design unit for an International company
*Ann Poh
*Benjamin Heng
*Bernard Tan
*Chen Huihui - Currently runs a chain of spas
*Chen Chuanzhi - Acts part time with MediaCorp while maintaining his business in the financial plannin industry
*Cherie Lim
*David Leong
*Darren Seah
*Dick Su
*Ericia Lee - now with Dream Forest
*Fu Aini
*Hong Rong
*Johnson Low
*Li Wenhai
*Liu Qiulian
*Peter Yu
*Shaun Chen
*Wang Liuyan
*Wymen Yong
*Xavier Teo

ee also

*Broadcasting in Singapore
*MediaCorp
*Singapore Press Holdings

External links

* [http://www.sphmediaworks.net SPH Mediaworks]