TV content and its progression
Following its slogan “Engage, Entertain, Enrich”, Mediacorp has endeavoured to produce good quality programs. Although some of the content and themes of the shows revolved around similar topics, Mediacorp has also venture out of their conventional dramas and produce shows with different elements. In addition, Mediacorp's production has also involved overseas production teams or overseas actors/actresses which further diversify the content of their production.
Besides local production, Mediacorp has also broadcast various overseas dramas and variety shows. This phenomenon was not generally seen in other countries, and thus Singapore viewers are truly blessed by Mediacorp's efforts in bringing the best shows to the comfort of their home through the free-to-air channels.
Due to their high popularity, shows from Taiwan, Hongkong, Korea and Japanese shows are frequently shown in local TV. In recent years, Taiwanese soap dramas have gained explosive popularity in Singapore, especially among the elderly community. Due to its high popularity, there was a period of time when the long running drama “爱 (love)” was shown daily at 7 pm and have a 2-hours special broadcast during the weekend. Not forgetting the younger generation, popular Korean and Japanese shows were specially catered to them. Shows such as “Boys over flower”, “My princess”, “Time Slip Dr. Jin”, “Galileo” and Korea popular variety show “Running Man” were dubbed and shown on either Channel 8 or Channel U.
In this section, we will revisit some of the classic Channel 8 and Channel U programs as well as interesting shows that were produced by Mediacorp.
Due to their high popularity, shows from Taiwan, Hongkong, Korea and Japanese shows are frequently shown in local TV. In recent years, Taiwanese soap dramas have gained explosive popularity in Singapore, especially among the elderly community. Due to its high popularity, there was a period of time when the long running drama “爱 (love)” was shown daily at 7 pm and have a 2-hours special broadcast during the weekend. Not forgetting the younger generation, popular Korean and Japanese shows were specially catered to them. Shows such as “Boys over flower”, “My princess”, “Time Slip Dr. Jin”, “Galileo” and Korea popular variety show “Running Man” were dubbed and shown on either Channel 8 or Channel U.
In this section, we will revisit some of the classic Channel 8 and Channel U programs as well as interesting shows that were produced by Mediacorp.
The good old days~
From the popular "The awakening 雾锁南洋
(1984) and "The unbeatable 双天至尊
(1993, 1996, 2002)" to the heart-warming comedy sitcoms, below are some of the classic shows that will bring you down the memory lane.
Enjoy the video below "Don't worry be Happy!" (敢敢做个开心人) and have a good laugh!
How about a song from the famous "Right Frequency" (播音人) ?
Variety shows
Mediacorp
has successfully produced many interesting variety shows over the past few
years. The genre of variety shows are mainly categorized into Food,
Education/ Informative, Entertainment and Cause/ Event.
As Singaporeans are known for their love for food, variety shows about food - from local to overseas, expensive fine dining to affordable hawker food, snacks to buffet - can be seen weekly on television. Similarly, education/informative shows are also frequently shown. “小毛病,大问题” was one of the most notable shows as it helps the audiences to understand more about diseases and their preventive measures. Other shows such as Say it! "好好说,慢慢讲" teaches the audiences how to communicate in proper English and Mandarin. These shows are deemed educative and well-accepted by the audiences. Mediacorp artistes active involvement in variety shows such as My star guide ”我的导游是明星“ and Can you do it, big star? "大明星,你行吗" were also commonly seen. These variety shows allow them to interact more closely with the viewers and also to show a different side of the artistes. In addition to many genres of variety shows, Mediacorp has also specially prepared some shows for the elderly. Shows such as "Golden age talent time", which was normally shown on weekday afternoon, serve as an important entertainment for the elderly. These shows also encourage the participation of the elderly and thus it serves to promote healthy aging. In these shows, old folks with special performing talents will participate and compete against each other.
There are also other sponsored game shows such as "The Sheng Shiong Show" and "爱上Giant"过肥年" which allow the audiences to participate and win attractive prizes. These shows have been running for many years and are popular among people of all ages. Besides that, there also many variety shows that were made to amuse the viewers. “Paris & Milan” was one of the most successful shows. The sarcastic jokes made against the Singapore society were rather fresh to the viewers and thus it received considerable attention during its airing. Aunty Lucy was born from that show and have ever since been one of the trademark characters made by Mediacorp. The latest show “Finding U” was a game show deemed to be a big production in commemoration to TV 50th anniversary. It is a remake of the popular Korea variety show “Running Man” but was incorporated with Singapore’s landmarks and cultures. In addition, Mediacorp also produced annual charity shows, awards shows, and countdowns.
Check out the videos below and understand why "Paris & Milan" was so popular! Also, catch up with the latest variety show "Finding U" and tell us whether it is as good as the Korea variety show "Running Man"!
As Singaporeans are known for their love for food, variety shows about food - from local to overseas, expensive fine dining to affordable hawker food, snacks to buffet - can be seen weekly on television. Similarly, education/informative shows are also frequently shown. “小毛病,大问题” was one of the most notable shows as it helps the audiences to understand more about diseases and their preventive measures. Other shows such as Say it! "好好说,慢慢讲" teaches the audiences how to communicate in proper English and Mandarin. These shows are deemed educative and well-accepted by the audiences. Mediacorp artistes active involvement in variety shows such as My star guide ”我的导游是明星“ and Can you do it, big star? "大明星,你行吗" were also commonly seen. These variety shows allow them to interact more closely with the viewers and also to show a different side of the artistes. In addition to many genres of variety shows, Mediacorp has also specially prepared some shows for the elderly. Shows such as "Golden age talent time", which was normally shown on weekday afternoon, serve as an important entertainment for the elderly. These shows also encourage the participation of the elderly and thus it serves to promote healthy aging. In these shows, old folks with special performing talents will participate and compete against each other.
There are also other sponsored game shows such as "The Sheng Shiong Show" and "爱上Giant"过肥年" which allow the audiences to participate and win attractive prizes. These shows have been running for many years and are popular among people of all ages. Besides that, there also many variety shows that were made to amuse the viewers. “Paris & Milan” was one of the most successful shows. The sarcastic jokes made against the Singapore society were rather fresh to the viewers and thus it received considerable attention during its airing. Aunty Lucy was born from that show and have ever since been one of the trademark characters made by Mediacorp. The latest show “Finding U” was a game show deemed to be a big production in commemoration to TV 50th anniversary. It is a remake of the popular Korea variety show “Running Man” but was incorporated with Singapore’s landmarks and cultures. In addition, Mediacorp also produced annual charity shows, awards shows, and countdowns.
Check out the videos below and understand why "Paris & Milan" was so popular! Also, catch up with the latest variety show "Finding U" and tell us whether it is as good as the Korea variety show "Running Man"!
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Famous and Interesting themes
Following the success of Unriddle "最火搭档" (2010), dramas with crime themes became a trend in Mediacorp production. The intense and interesting plots in those dramas kept the viewers on the edge of their seats and made them wanting for more. C.L.I.F , C.L.I.F 2 and Unriddle 2 were a few examples of the successful crime dramas.
Besides that, year-end production dramas which are normally star studded are the main focus of most TV lovers. The Little Nyonya "小娘惹 (2008)" is one of the most successful drama series produced by Mediacorp due to its detailed production and interesting historical plot. Set in the peranakan background, the Little Nyonya was shot in both Singapore and mainly in Malacca, which is the origin of peranakan. This drama has been shown and also won many awards locally and overseas. In celebration of TV 50th Anniversary, the coming year-end production "The Journey: Voyage 信。约 - 唐山到南洋" has already attracted many attention due to its theme and star-studded casts. The big production budget was apparent as the filming was set in Singapore, Malaysia and China in order to bring out the authenticity of the story line. Check out the videos below for the making of "The Journey: Voyage" as we anticipate the release of the drama!
Besides that, year-end production dramas which are normally star studded are the main focus of most TV lovers. The Little Nyonya "小娘惹 (2008)" is one of the most successful drama series produced by Mediacorp due to its detailed production and interesting historical plot. Set in the peranakan background, the Little Nyonya was shot in both Singapore and mainly in Malacca, which is the origin of peranakan. This drama has been shown and also won many awards locally and overseas. In celebration of TV 50th Anniversary, the coming year-end production "The Journey: Voyage 信。约 - 唐山到南洋" has already attracted many attention due to its theme and star-studded casts. The big production budget was apparent as the filming was set in Singapore, Malaysia and China in order to bring out the authenticity of the story line. Check out the videos below for the making of "The Journey: Voyage" as we anticipate the release of the drama!
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Family
Dramas revolving around family ties and relationship were
also common in Mediacorp dramas. Some of the family-themed dramas such as
"Your hand in mine" and "Love blossoms" are some the
examples of long-running dramas that were produced by Mediacorp. Due to the
nature of Singapore society, many families are facing challenges in maintaining
good relationships in their families. As many family issues shown in the dramas
are real and close to home, they served as good reminder to the viewers on the
importance of good relationship in the family.
Raising Awareness
The influence of the media is a remarkable asset to deliver message to the public and thus enabling a possible change of perspective. Therefore, our government has used television as a platform to raise awareness in the community. Some dramas were produced to abolish stereotyping, acknowledge the contributions of government organisations and to commemorate important events in Singapore. Dramas such as By My Side “不凡的爱”(2008) and Break Free “曙光”(2013) were produced to reduce stereotyping against AIDS patients and ex-prisoners. Moreover, shows such as Always on my mind “无炎的爱” (2003) was made to remind us on the sacrifice and contribution of the medical workers during SARS period.
Collaboration with artistes from other countries
With the collaboration with overseas artistes, the interaction between the artistes enhances the exhilaration of the dramas. Besides increasing the rating locally, local dramas can gain publicity overseas with the participation of overseas artistes. The champion "任我遨游" (2004) was the first Singapore-Taiwan idol drama produced and has created excitement among the fans from both countries. This drama has also made headlines when the actresses run along Orchard road in their swimming suits. Most of the collaboration with the Taiwanese artistes was to produce idol dramas.
Out of the many countries, Mediacorp has produced many dramas with our neighbouring countries, Malaysia. Some of the dramas were produced by Mediacorp Malaysia a Sdn Bhd. and thus were shown in both counties. Furthermore, the participation of Hongkong artistes were common after the success of Kindred spirit "真情" and Heart of Greed "溏心風暴". Some of the actors/actresses were then invited to act in local dramas. Hongkong actress Louise Lee "李司棋" has been a familiar face in many local family dramas. She took up the role as a mother after her successful portrayal of a mother in both Kindred spirit and Heart of Greed. We have yet to see any collaboration between Singapore with Japanese or South Korean artistes, but we believe that Mediacorp will continue to diversify their production in order to keep the viewer engaged, enriched and entertained!
Out of the many countries, Mediacorp has produced many dramas with our neighbouring countries, Malaysia. Some of the dramas were produced by Mediacorp Malaysia a Sdn Bhd. and thus were shown in both counties. Furthermore, the participation of Hongkong artistes were common after the success of Kindred spirit "真情" and Heart of Greed "溏心風暴". Some of the actors/actresses were then invited to act in local dramas. Hongkong actress Louise Lee "李司棋" has been a familiar face in many local family dramas. She took up the role as a mother after her successful portrayal of a mother in both Kindred spirit and Heart of Greed. We have yet to see any collaboration between Singapore with Japanese or South Korean artistes, but we believe that Mediacorp will continue to diversify their production in order to keep the viewer engaged, enriched and entertained!