MediaCorp TV Channel 5
Encyclopedia
MediaCorp Channel 5 or Channel 5 (Chinese: 五频道, Before 1 January 2005: 第五波道) is a 24-hour free-to-air English
and Malay language
television channel
based in Singapore
.
Programmes on Channel 5 normally include English language drama
(both foreign imports and locally-made), movies
, sports, reality show, variety show
, news, current affairs and game show programmes. Local editions of overseas programmes like Singapore Idol
, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
, and Deal or No Deal
have also been produced.
terrestrial television station in Singapore that broadcasts in English
although the station also aired Malay
programmes at the time. Its sister station Channel 8 was launched on 23 November 1963 with a mix of Chinese
and Tamil
language programmes.
Channel 5 began transmitting in colour
on 7 July 1974 and by the 1990s, the station was airing 24-hours a day, with stereo
audio. By 1994, Malay programmes were transferred to Prime 12
, later renamed Suria
.
In 2007, HD5 was launched, and Channel 5 became the first (and as of 2010, only) terrestrial TV station in Singapore to broadcast in HD.
(a local English patois
), it was well received by the Singapore audience, and became a finalist at the International Emmy Award. Under One Roof paved the way for future local comedy programmes like Mr. Kiasu, Sayang Sayang, and Living with Lydia
.
One of the most notable local production was Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, often known as Phua Chu Kang. It, like Under One Roof, suffered from criticisms (some coming from the Government) over its use of Singlish. However, Phua Chu Kang went on to enjoy almost the same level of popularity and acclaim.
) with English dubbing and English-Malay subtitles.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Malay language
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
television channel
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
based in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Programmes on Channel 5 normally include English language drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
(both foreign imports and locally-made), movies
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, sports, reality show, variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
, news, current affairs and game show programmes. Local editions of overseas programmes like Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol
Singapore Idol is a television show on Channel 5 of MediaCorp TV. It is a competition among undiscovered singers in Singapore. Like others in the Idol series, it is modelled after Pop Idol. The current judges are singer/songwriter Dick Lee and record producers Florence Lian and Ken Lim. Previous...
, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
, and Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
have also been produced.
History
Channel 5 was launched on 15 February 1963 as Television Singapura and was the first free-to-airFree-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
terrestrial television station in Singapore that broadcasts in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
although the station also aired Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
programmes at the time. Its sister station Channel 8 was launched on 23 November 1963 with a mix of Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
language programmes.
Channel 5 began transmitting in colour
Color television
Color television is part of the history of television, the technology of television and practices associated with television's transmission of moving images in color video....
on 7 July 1974 and by the 1990s, the station was airing 24-hours a day, with stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
audio. By 1994, Malay programmes were transferred to Prime 12
MediaCorp TV12
MediaCorp TV12 is a subsidiary of MediaCorp. It operates the Suria, Vasantham and okto channels, which cater to specific groups in Singapore. It once operated Central...
, later renamed Suria
MediaCorp Suria
MediaCorp Suria is a Malay language channel featuring local and acquired Malay dramas and popular programmes. Suria has achieved recognition outside the Malay community drawing media attention in Singapore and abroad....
.
In 2007, HD5 was launched, and Channel 5 became the first (and as of 2010, only) terrestrial TV station in Singapore to broadcast in HD.
Local programmes
In addition to foreign programmes, Channel 5 also produces some sitcoms, dramas and local adaptations of some overseas entertainment programmes. The first sitcom produced by Channel 5 was called Under One Roof, which was aired in 1994. Despite criticisms over its use of SinglishSinglish
Colloquial Singaporean English, also known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore. The Singaporean government and many Singaporeans alike heavily discourage the use of Singlish in favour of Standard English...
(a local English patois
Patois
Patois is any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to jargon or slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of cant...
), it was well received by the Singapore audience, and became a finalist at the International Emmy Award. Under One Roof paved the way for future local comedy programmes like Mr. Kiasu, Sayang Sayang, and Living with Lydia
Living with Lydia
Living With Lydia is a Singaporean TV sitcom that was produced by MediaCorp and aired on Channel 5 from 2001 to 2005.-Overview:...
.
One of the most notable local production was Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, often known as Phua Chu Kang. It, like Under One Roof, suffered from criticisms (some coming from the Government) over its use of Singlish. However, Phua Chu Kang went on to enjoy almost the same level of popularity and acclaim.
International line-up
Channel 5 also imports a variety of programmes from other country, most of them American. In 2011, Channel 5 will be telecast the 2002 Indonesian drama series Keluarga Cemara (Pine Family) (from RCTIRCTI
RCTI is Indonesia's first privately owned television network and is based in West Jakarta. RCTI broadcasts Indonesian Idol as well as sinetron , films, news and current affairs, reality shows and religious programs...
) with English dubbing and English-Malay subtitles.