MediaCorp, StarHub push Olympics coverage

Singapore - MediaCorp, intending to cash in on the upcoming Beijing Olympics, has announced it will broadcast the Games in high-definition for up to 19 hours a day on HD5.

MediaCorp's TV, radio, and print platforms will also extensively cover the Games (Channel 5 and TV Mobile alone will carry an average of 18 hours and 13.5 hours worth of Olympic coverage daily). But a recent survey done by MindShare has revealed only 61% of Singaporeans felt the Beijing Olympics was the biggest event of the year while 50% thought the Games were as exciting as the FIFA World Cup. The survey involved around 3,000 respondents across Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, India, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

However, MediaCorp's deputy CEO, Television, Chang Long Jong was confident Singaporeans would take to the Beijing Games strongly. "With the same time zone, a lot of the Game events are going to happen right in the time when Singaporeans are able to catch them live," he says.

Cable operator StarHub has also announced it will have Olympic coverage across six dedicated channels (Channels 601 to 606). Among the channels is MediaCorp's HD5.