MediaCorp joins with SEA broadcasters

• Six broadcasters form Alliance
• Pledge to work on three key areas
• Sales and marketing a big focus

Regional - A group of broadcasters, including Singapore's MediaCorp, have announced the SMART Alliance - an initiative which will see the six members work together on marketing, content and technology.

The six founding members of the alliance are ABS-CBN (Philippines), BBTV (Thailand), International Media Corporation (Vietnam), Media Nusantara Citra (Indonesia), Media Prima (Malaysia) and MediaCorp.

All members met today in Singapore and signed a memorandum of understanding pledging to work on three specific areas - content, selling and marketing, and technology. For advertisers and clients, the alliance grouping will be able to deliver marketing and promotional solutions on a regional platform. For example, there are plans to produce a reality show singing competition across the region.

"If there is a particular client who would like to own the entire regional singing competition as a brand, that obviously now becomes a platform which that particular client can own," MediaCorp CEO and chairman of the SMART Alliance steering committee, Lucas Chow, said.

"As a community of regional media companies, we believe there is scope for an alliance that is established and driven purely by commercial considerations and goals. Our hope is that we will be the alliance of choice of all media companies in the Asia Pacific within the next three years or so."