Channel 5 (Singapore)

At 6pm on 15 February 1963, Channel 5 was launched as its first pilot television service as "Television Singapura". The channel operated 1-hour and 40-minutes monochrome service on black and white during its daily test transmissions from 6pm to 7.40pm. After the image of the state flag and the playing of the national anthem, Majulah Singapura, then-Minister for Culture S. Rajaratnam became the first person to appear on Singapore TV, announcing that "Tonight might well mark the start of a social and cultural revolution in our lives." Following his speech, the first television programme in Singapore was a 15-minute documentary produced by Television Singapura called TV Looks at Singapore. It was followed by two cartoons, a news report and newsreel, a comedy show and a local variety show. At the time, it was estimated that only one in 58 persons in Singapore owned a TV set, and the pilot service offered only 1-hour and 40-minutes of broadcasting per day on Channel 5.[1] At 7.15pm on 2 April that year, President Yusof Ishak officially inaugurated the regular television service as "Television Singapura Channel 5" with 4-hour daily broadcasts from 7.15pm until 11.15pm before gradually brought forward to 6.30pm in September that year, showing programmes in Singapore's four official languages (see English).[2]

At 10.20pm on 7 July 1974, Channel 5 began its first colour broadcasts with the first live telecast during the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final between West Germany and Netherlands, narrated by Brian Richmond, was displayed in colour via satellite transmission as the first colour television programmes held at Olympiastadion, Munich.[3] About 2,000 colour television sets were sold in Singapore three days before the match. At 4.44pm on 9 August that year (the Singapore's Independence celebrated its ninth year of anniversary), the Singapore National Day Parade held at Padang was broadcast in colour for the first time in all four languages.[4]

At stroke of midnight on New Year's Day (1 January) 1994, Channel 5 officially launched the revamped channel logo and slogan for a new look "Where It All Happens!" and became the all full-fledged English channel, and also Singapore's first English language free-to-air terrestrial channel with the television programme Tellymatch: Running On 5 at 7.30am, Tellymatch: Style Alive On 5 at 2pm, and Tellymatch: Finale On 5. Two new English-language news bulletin programmes also premiered:[5]

• News 5 at Seven (now Asia Tonight); an English-language flagship main news programme premiered on same day at 7pm.
• News 5 Tonight (now News Tonight) and became a late news bulletin on Channel 5; aired daily at 10.30pm.

Nine months later (on 1 October 1994), SBC was privatised into a new holding company Singapore International Media (SIM Group of Companies) with four business mass media telecommunications and information like the Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS), Radio Corporation of Singapore (RCS), SIM Communications and Television Twelve (TV12).[6]

On 29 September 1995, Channel 5 commenced its full 24-hour broadcasts, becoming the second channel in Singapore to do so.

On 1 November 2014, the channel was announced a revamp in terms on programme, billed as "Local Upsize", as some primetime programmes were moved 30 minutes earlier (such as moving News 5 (formerly News 5 Tonight) later renamed News Tonight from 9.30pm to 9pm), and the start of the Super 7 prime time belt with effect on 31 December that year.[7]

On 1 May 2019, the channel's morning and midday blocks were revamped and renamed to Okto on 5. The move is due to the closure of free-to-air children's and sport channel okto. The programmes replaced simulcast of CNA's breakfast news bulletin and reruns. On the other hand, the programming for the prime time and late-night blocks was retained.[8]

• List of programmes broadcast by Channel 5 (Singapore)

• MediaCorp TV Channel 5's official website