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Country | Singapore |
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Broadcast area | Singapore Malaysia (Johor) Indonesia (Riau Islands) |
Network | Mediacorp TV |
Headquarters | Mediacorp Campus, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore 138507 |
Programming | |
Language(s) | Mandarin |
Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Mediacorp Pte Ltd |
Sister channels | Channel U Channel 5 Suria Vasantham CNA |
History | |
Launched | 31 August 1963 23 November 1963 (Official) | (Test transmissions)
Links | |
Website | http://tv.mewatch.sg/zh/channel8 |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
Digital terrestrial television | Channel 3 |
myFreeview | Channel 204 (HD) (Sarawak only) (available on 20 November 2022) |
Streaming media | |
meWATCH | Available on meWATCH website or mobile app (Singapore only) |
Channel 8 (Chinese: 8頻道) is a Singaporean Mandarin-language free-to-air terrestrial television channel in Singapore, owned by state media conglomerate Mediacorp. The channel broadcasts general entertainment and news programming in the Mandarin language, including original and imported programming.
The channel began a series of experimental broadcasts on 31 August 1963, and officially launched on 22 November 1963. As with its sister Channel 5, the channel would initially air programming in all four of Singapore's official languages, although having a particular focus on the Chinese and Tamil communities. In 1973, this scope was formalised, with Channel 8 primarily broadcasting Chinese and Tamil-language programmes. In compliance with the government's Speak Mandarin Campaign, Chinese programming on the channel would later be broadcast solely in Mandarin Chinese. In 1995, Tamil programmes moved to Prime 12, with 8 having since focused exclusively on Mandarin programming.