Channel 5 will be going through a makeover from next week. There will be more local shows. And from Jan 2009, there will be a100-episode long-running drama series which will be aired daily. Long-time favourite shows like PCK and Wheel Of Fortune (US) will also come back
MediaCorp TV's Channel 5 rebranded to feature more local talent
SINGAPORE: MediaCorp TV's Channel 5 is making a transformation.
Come May, the channel will be rebranded to put more emphasis on
home-grown talent.
The channel, with its tagline of ‘Come Home to 5’, will feature more local shows.
Some will put the glamour aside to battle it out in a new reality
series called ‘The Showdown’. In the 13-part reality series, the
celebrities will be put through some unusual challenges.
Another new comedy series ‘Sayang Sayang’ will debut in June.
Popular shows like ‘Parental Guidance’ and ‘The Yang Sisters’ will make
a comeback.
And in January 2009, the channel will feature long form dramas,
which will air daily and run some 100 episodes compared to the usual
13.
Also watch out for the contractor with the yellow boots, as ‘Phua Chu
Kang’ expands his construction company into the Kuala Lumpur market.
Dramas from the US such as ‘Prison Break’, ‘Lost’, ‘CSI’, ‘Nip &
Tuck’ are also making an encore.
Long time favourites such as the US edition of ‘Wheel of Fortune’
will also be brought back to the early prime time slot. Also on the
cards is a new series, ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’.
Kenneth Liang, Executive Vice President, MediaCorp TV Channel 5,
said: "What's important is that we want to pass ownership of the
channel to the audience. We are the mass audience channel. We are
opening a feedback panel. So engage us and we'll surprise you.
"It is the beginning of a transformation. It's not going to be the
entire channel changing immediately. It will take time, but it will be
a significant change on a continuing basis."
For the first time in Singapore and Southeast Asia, viewers can
catch all the Olympic action this August in high definition. There will
be about 350 hours of coverage from Beijing this summer.
In September, Channel 5 will also broadcast the inaugural Formula One Singapore Grand Prix in its entirety. - CNA/vm
ah.good.