Channel i (Singaporean TV channel)
Channel i was a Singaporean English language free-to-air terrestrial television channel that was launched on 20 May 2001 as TVWorks. It was one of two channels owned by SPH MediaWorks, a subsidiary television service of Singapore Press Holdings.
 | |
| Country | Singapore |
|---|---|
| Network | SPH MediaWorks |
| Headquarters | 82 Genting Lane Singapore 349567 |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 4:3 576i SDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Singapore Press Holdings |
| Sister channels | Channel U |
| History | |
| Launched | 20 May 2001 (as TVWorks)[1] 3 March 2002 (as Channel i)[2] |
| Closed | 1 January 2005 |
| Replaced by | Channel 5 |
| Former names | TVWorks (2001-2002) |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| UHF | Channel 30 |
The channel was shut down in 2005 due to low ratings and lack of advertiser support alongside the media merger with Mediacorp. All Channel i shows that were active at that time were moved to Channel 5. Its frequencies (terrestrial and cable) and channel space were taken over by Okto (using Channel 12/Premiere 12/Central's old format) nearly four years later. Okto itself later also closed down on 1 May 2019 due to similar reasons, after which the channel space, created in 2001, folded and ceased to exist.
History
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On 26 April 2001, SPH MediaWorks received a nationwide free-to-air television service licence from the Singapore Broadcasting Authority, allowing them to start broadcasting two channels, Channel U, a Chinese language channel, and TVWorks, an English channel.[3] On 20 May 2001, TVWorks was launched.[4] On 9 November 2001, TVWorks was restructured following a loss of 65 employees and a decreasing audience share. Plans for its shutdown were dismissed.[5] On 25 February 2002, it was announced that the channel would rebrand as Channel i. This rebrand became effective on 3 March 2002. Under the new name, Channel i would put a strong emphasis on action entertainment and coverage of the S.League, as well as offering movies every evening. The new brand reflected "the habits, preferences and tastes of the viewers"[6][7]
i Sports like sport event programmes including tennis Grand Slam (including Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships) and soccer 2002 FIFA World Cup, i Movies like Hollywood films was Hollywood major big film studios (Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures) includes Casper, Notting Hill, The Green Mile, and The Scorpion King, and i Drama like United States television series was Hollywood major big television productions (Universal Television, and Paramount Television).
Final Broadcast
On 7 December 2004, it was announced that Channel i will leave the air permanently as part of the merge of MediaCorp and SPH Mediaworks.
On 1 January 2005 at around 0130 hrs, the entire channel's final shutdown sequence commenced with the broadcasting of the last bulletin of the Channel i News, including a footage compilation of its local current affairs programming and a message of thanks from the SPH MediaWorks team. After that, a video montage as part of the final shutdown sequence rolled showing footage of sporting events and both local and imported programming, ending with the blurb "Thank You for the Years", coinciding with same name of the song the montage was set to, by Shirley Bassey. Finally, a second montage with similar clips interspersed with countdown digits rolled, set to Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman - "Time to Say Goodbye". As the final lyrics of the song ricocheted on the air, the real countdown was shown in accelerated style before the channel ident was played for one last time, and concluding with "Farewell Singapore". A brief shot of static was followed by the national anthem music video being played and afterwards a slide claiming the channel's permanent closedown was displayed.
Over three years later, the dormant channel space was brought back to life with the debut of Okto, the channel being launched on 19 October 2008. After a lack of viewership on both its kids shows and sporting event coverage, it was moved to Channel 5 and Channel 8 as rebranded programming blocks and ended its broadcasting service as a standalone channel.
Former programmes
as TVWorks
- The Big Buffet – biweekly run
- Big Chilli Wednesday
- The Odd Squad
- Jalan Jalan
- The Big Break
- The Mensroom
- Here's A Million – Gameshow
- After Hours – Talk show
- It's All In The Body – Info-Ed
- Dollars & Sense – Current Affairs
as Channel i
- Ah Girl (3 seasons) – Sitcom
- Channel i News – News
- Cue – Current affairs
- Eyewitness – Current affairs
- Durian King – Drama
- Fat to Fit – Reality
- Heath Matters – Current affairs
- iContact – Current affairs
- i On The News – Current affairs
- i2u – Variety
- Makansutra (4 seasons) – Infotainment
- Perceptions – Drama
- Singapore Shakes – Drama
- Six Weeks – Drama
- On Today – Current affairs
- The Money Tree – Current affairs
- World Life – Current affairs
See also
References
- "The MediaWorks Big Tune-In; Two Free TV Channels Coming Your Way". SPH MediaWorks. Archived from the original on 4 December 2001. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- "i - Your choice for Movies and Action On Singapore's Terrestrial TV!". SPH MediaWorks. 25 February 2002. Archived from the original on 14 August 2002. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- "Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA) issues Broadcast Licence to SPH Mediaworks" (Press release). 26 April 2001. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- "The MediaWorks Big Tune-In; Two Free TV Channels Coming Your Way". SPH MediaWorks. Archived from the original on 4 December 2001. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- "MediaWorks downsizes and restructures TV Works". Singapore Press Holdings. 9 November 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- "i - Your choice for Movies and Action On Singapore's Terrestrial TV!". SPH MediaWorks. 25 February 2002. Archived from the original on 14 August 2002. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- "Cost cutting prompts Channel i rebranding". Campaign Asia. Retrieved 14 September 2019.