SINGAPORE — Free-to-air (FTA) television has expanded its reach among audiences, reinforcing its position as the most widely accessed medium.
The latest Nielsen Singapore Media Index, which was released yesterday, showed that, on a weekly basis, an average of 85.5 per cent of local viewers tuned in to FTA television, up 0.9 percentage point from last year.
In comparison, 83.1 per cent of the population use the Internet each week.
The FTA channels are Channel NewsAsia, Channel 8, Channel 5, Channel U, Okto, Suria and Vasantham. Except for Okto, all the channels saw an increase in daily viewership.
Channel U, for example, saw its daily viewership rise to 1.05 million, up from 716,000 last year, while Channel NewsAsia’s daily viewership jumped from 606,000 to 791,000 over the same period.
Channel 8 remains the highest-watched television channel, with a daily reach of 43 per cent of the population, or about 1.8 million.
Said Mr Chang Long Jong, deputy CEO of Mediacorp, which owns the FTA channels and this newspaper: “Even in the digital age, most Singaporeans prefer to consume news and entertainment through free-to-air TV. Channel NewsAsia’s reach, for example, grew significantly while Channel 8 remains the most watched channel.
“Across Mediacorp, we will continue to focus on creating content that is engaging, relatable and in tune with the times, and delivering it to our audiences in all the ways they choose to consume it.”
