Sherwin Loh
Fri, Sep 05, 2008
The Straits Times, Digital Life
Free TV but not good TV
BARRING any more glitches, some local fans of hit drama series Prison Break will be catching the debut episode of the latest season next Monday, less than a week after it premieres in the United States.
While this is slightly longer than the 24-hour window initially promised by SingTel mio TV's Season Pass service - which aims to deliver over 50 of the latest hit US shows to local viewers - SingTel hopes to eliminate teething problems and keep to its promise in the coming weeks.
The new 2008/09 TV season begins on Monday at 8pm in the US and the US premiere dates of shows like Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives and Supernatural will be staggered over the next two months.
Not to be outdone, rival StarHub has launched a similar service, offering all three shows from the top-rated CSI franchise - original, Miami and New York - together with fellow procedural show, Numbers.
What viewers have to digest now is that they will have to pay to watch their favourite TV shows instead of catching them free-to-air over MediaCorp channels. These free programmes traditionally lag behind the US broadcasts by a year.
Movie fans can watch movies for free on television if they are prepared to wait several years after they open in theatres. Otherwise, they have to pay to catch the hottest releases on the big screens.
It's just that the TV landscape has traditionally done things the other way around, by never offering programmes for a fee - until now.
While SingTel has taken the lead in offering top US shows to audiences, it is still the new kid on the block, having rolled out mio TV only last July.
This probably also explains why there are some technical glitches with mio TV, as it uses your broadband connection to send TV signals.
Meanwhile, MediaCorp seems to have taken a backseat in what was supposed to be its biggest strength - providing gogglebox entertainment to the masses.
Over the years, fans of TV shows have seen a pattern in which Channel 5 airs its acquired programmes, mostly in late-night slots and rarely overlapping each other.
All three CSI shows, for example, will never be aired in the same months. Viewers have to wait until one show ends before another begins.
Given that SingTel is offering over 50 shows in the coming weeks, one wonders how many titles Channel 5 has not shown in the last few years, simply because it has limited broadcast hours.
Considering that it has its own subscription-based, on-demand MobTV service, one also wonders why it has never taken the lead in offering quality programming the way SingTel and StarHub are doing.
One can argue that MediaCorp is simply doing the bare minimum as it is not a paid service like its competition.
However, if its Hong Kong counterpart, TVB Pearl, can offer a free on-demand TV service for some US shows, why are local viewers being short-changed?
If anything, support for SingTel and StarHub's services is a sign that MediaCorp has lost its standing as the dominant content provider, and viewers are prepared to pay for the latest runs of edgy programmes.
One wonders how long it can stay relevant when it seems to be focused on offering mostly local content during primetime hours - between 7pm and 10pm - that few want to watch, instead of bringing in the hit shows that SingTel and StarHub are betting their futures on.
[email protected]
Fri, Sep 05, 2008
The Straits Times, Digital Life
Free TV but not good TV
BARRING any more glitches, some local fans of hit drama series Prison Break will be catching the debut episode of the latest season next Monday, less than a week after it premieres in the United States.
While this is slightly longer than the 24-hour window initially promised by SingTel mio TV's Season Pass service - which aims to deliver over 50 of the latest hit US shows to local viewers - SingTel hopes to eliminate teething problems and keep to its promise in the coming weeks.
The new 2008/09 TV season begins on Monday at 8pm in the US and the US premiere dates of shows like Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives and Supernatural will be staggered over the next two months.
Not to be outdone, rival StarHub has launched a similar service, offering all three shows from the top-rated CSI franchise - original, Miami and New York - together with fellow procedural show, Numbers.
What viewers have to digest now is that they will have to pay to watch their favourite TV shows instead of catching them free-to-air over MediaCorp channels. These free programmes traditionally lag behind the US broadcasts by a year.
Movie fans can watch movies for free on television if they are prepared to wait several years after they open in theatres. Otherwise, they have to pay to catch the hottest releases on the big screens.
It's just that the TV landscape has traditionally done things the other way around, by never offering programmes for a fee - until now.
While SingTel has taken the lead in offering top US shows to audiences, it is still the new kid on the block, having rolled out mio TV only last July.
This probably also explains why there are some technical glitches with mio TV, as it uses your broadband connection to send TV signals.
Meanwhile, MediaCorp seems to have taken a backseat in what was supposed to be its biggest strength - providing gogglebox entertainment to the masses.
Over the years, fans of TV shows have seen a pattern in which Channel 5 airs its acquired programmes, mostly in late-night slots and rarely overlapping each other.
All three CSI shows, for example, will never be aired in the same months. Viewers have to wait until one show ends before another begins.
Given that SingTel is offering over 50 shows in the coming weeks, one wonders how many titles Channel 5 has not shown in the last few years, simply because it has limited broadcast hours.
Considering that it has its own subscription-based, on-demand MobTV service, one also wonders why it has never taken the lead in offering quality programming the way SingTel and StarHub are doing.
One can argue that MediaCorp is simply doing the bare minimum as it is not a paid service like its competition.
However, if its Hong Kong counterpart, TVB Pearl, can offer a free on-demand TV service for some US shows, why are local viewers being short-changed?
If anything, support for SingTel and StarHub's services is a sign that MediaCorp has lost its standing as the dominant content provider, and viewers are prepared to pay for the latest runs of edgy programmes.
One wonders how long it can stay relevant when it seems to be focused on offering mostly local content during primetime hours - between 7pm and 10pm - that few want to watch, instead of bringing in the hit shows that SingTel and StarHub are betting their futures on.
[email protected]
