SINGAPORE: Come Sep 17, Singapore households which have not made the switch to digital TV (DTV) will see a smaller picture on their TV screens, as a visual reminder for them to make the switch before analogue TV signals are switched off on Dec 31.
On top of that, there will be on-screen instructions to inform viewers how to make the switch to DTV.
Accordingly to Mediacorp’s survey on DTV adoption in Singapore, about four in five Singapore households are already enjoying DTV.
This includes households that enjoy DTV through their PayTV subscriptions. Households that do not switch to DTV by Dec 31 will not be able to continue to watch Mediacorp free-to-air programmes from Jan 1 next year.
A mock-up of the TV “squeeze back” in English. Similar on-screen instructions will be shown in Tamil, Malay and Mandarin on the relevant channels. (Image: Mediacorp)
Mediacorp’s Chief Content Officer Doreen Neo said: “We note from the survey that the top reason for not making the switch is inertia. The ‘squeeze back’ is a ‘nudge’ to get households to act well before the end of the year.
“With DTV, viewers will be able to enjoy better picture and sound quality, and enjoy other benefits such as multi-language subtitles and electronic programme guides.”
Prior to the “squeeze back”, analogue TV viewers have been prompted to make the switch through the “Analogue” channel logo at the top right corner of their TV screens, and a crawler message running across the bottom of their TV screens.
Viewers who require help can visit the DTV Carnivals and Mobile DTV Service Counters organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority for live demonstrations on DTV equipment installation.
Mediacorp celebrities Xiang Yun, He Ying Ying and Romeo Tan have been active ambassadors of the #Switch2DTV campaign at these carnivals. The full list of digital TV events can be found on the digital TV website.
To find out more, visit https://digitaltv.sg or call 1800 388 4357.
