Singapore telco StarHub is boosting its line-up of local content with a fresh round of funding from the Media Development Authority (MDA) under its Public Service Broadcast Contestable Funds Scheme (PCFS) for 2015.
With the funding, StarHub will commission over 80 hours of original local productions. To cater to the rising demand for bite-sized content and reach a wider audience online, StarHub will allocate part of this year’s funding to commission short-form content, which will be made available on digital platforms.
The PCFS aims to extend the reach of Public Service Broadcast (PSB) content to multiple broadcast platforms beyond Free-To-Air TV.
This is the second time that StarHub has been awarded PCFS funding: in 2013, StarHub became the first pay TV operator in Singapore to receive such funding.
All content produced under the scheme will incorporate PSB values such as the celebration of Singapore’s culture and heritage, enhancement of racial and religious harmony, and the promotion of the Singaporean identity.
“Our first wave of PSB content was well received, with better ratings compared to programs shown on the same time-belts,” said Lee Soo Hui, head of media business unit, StarHub. “To address the rising trend of viewers going online, we hope to produce short-form content that will appeal to online consumers.”