 | |
| Type | free-to-air,terrestrial andsatellite basednews channel |
|---|---|
| Country | Singapore |
| Broadcast area | international, Southeast Asia |
| Headquarters | Mediacorp Campus,One-north,Singapore |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Picture format | 1080i16:9HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Mediacorp |
| History | |
| Launched | 1 March 1999; 26 years ago (1999-03-01) |
| Former names | Channel NewsAsia (1999–2019) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | |
| Website | |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | UHF CH 33 570MHzDVB-T2 Channel 6 (HD) |
| Streaming media | |
| meWATCH | Available onmeWATCH website or mobile app (Singapore only) |
| YouTube | Available onYouTube |
CNA (formerlyChannel NewsAsia) is aSingapore-based multinationalnews channel owned byMediacorp, the country's state-owned media conglomerate. The network is broadcast in Singapore onfree-to-airterrestrial television and Mediacorp's streaming servicemeWatch, and is distributed internationally via television providers in theAsia–Pacific, as well asstreaming andfree ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platforms.
The network has been positioned as an alternative to Western-based international media in presenting news from "an Asian perspective."[1][2] Alongside its main focus as anEnglish-language news television channel, CNA also produces news and current affairs content in Singapore's other official languages ofChinese,Malay, andTamil, which is distributed via digital outlets and Mediacorp's local channels in the languages. Mediacorp'sChannel 5 previously aired a simulcast of CNA during the weekday breakfast hours until 1 May 2019, when it was replaced by anOkto block.[3]
The CNA brand also encompassesdigital media properties, including its website and social media outlets, as well as a co-brandednews radio station in Singapore,CNA938.
The idea of a news channel had been first suggested byWoon Tai Ho, who would soon become CNA's first vice-president.[4]
Despite theeconomic recession the region was facing at the time, Mediacorp, then known asTelevision Corporation of Singapore (TCS) was suggesting the creation of a news channel (initially rumoured to be a business channel) in 1998. Under the initially planned format, the channel was set to provide business news mirroringCNN andCNBC, with a tentative launch date of 1 January 1999.[5]
In October, TCS announced the name of the new service, Channel NewsAsia, and that its cost would be of $20 million in the first year, and $100 million at the long-term period of five years.[6][7] With the then-upcoming launch of the channel, it was decided that all ofChannel 5's current affairs programmes were to move to CNA, leaving only the main news (News 5 Tonight) with only one edition at 9:30pm.[8]
In a surprise move, one of its initial presenters,Christine Tan, left CNA ahead of its launch for CNBC Asia.[9] Two further presenters had left CNA despite heavy promotion for its launch.[10] The launch of the channel was still set to go as planned, but still aired promos featuring the resigned presenters during its test transmissions.[11] The channel's initial slogan was "We know Asia".[12]
Channel NewsAsia launched on 1 March 1999, opening with a speech byMinister of Information and the ArtsGeorge Yeo atRaffles Place. Attending the ceremony were CNA staff, TCS executives and representatives from both media and business circles.[4][13]Malaysia reacted to the channel's launch with a Malaysian answer owned by Astro.[14] A few months after launch, in July 1999, jurisdiction of CNA was moved from TCS to the newly created MediaCorp News, in line with the renaming of SIM to Media Corporation of Singapore and the creation of "strategic business units".[15]
The channel initially focused on Singapore. It started to be distributed in other Asian countries and Australia by satellite on 28 September 2000,[16] after a decision taken on 1 March,[17] with the hopes of promoting it as apan-Asian network.[18] Public opinion was divided over its editorial independence, as the channel was touted as a government mouthpiece.[19] In its early years, the channel had a strong emphasis on business news, but has deviated from the initial purpose and changed to a general news channel.[20]
Jill Neubronner, who was also a newscaster and reporter for TCS since 1995, left CNA in December 2000 for CNN.[21] The channel's ratings increased inIndonesia over a breaking story in late July 2001, with 464,000 viewers tuning in.[22] During the post-National Day period,Singapore Tonight brought back formertelevision news presenters TC Koh, Dorothy Tan, Norman Lim andDuncan Watt, sitting alongside then-current presenter Sharon Tong. The plan was conceived by Chay Ting Nee, who emulated it after seeing a US station he worked at do the same.[23] By late September 2001, the channel had achieved international targets two years ahead of schedule, with 12 million households and 35,000 hotel rooms in 15 countries receiving the service, showing strong demand for news from an Asian perspective. Its output in Singapore, including the website, have reached record figures for the time, with its coverage of the aftermath of theSeptember 11 attacks being seen by 35% of the Singaporean population, with Asia Tonight becoming the second most-watched English programme on local TV. Ratings were several times higher than foreign networks available on cable, and its website received 9.3 million page views.[24] The attacks gave prominence to the network, reaching audience levels higher than BBC World and CNN International.[25]
The channel started broadcasts toHong Kong on 1 July 2002, five years after the handover, onHong Kong Cable Television.[26] The channel launched inBrunei on 30 September 2002 on theKristal TV platform, available on its UHF platform on a part-time basis.[27] The following month it signed a contract withIndonesian news networkMetro TV, enabling the channel to have access to footage and programmes from CNA, with potential co-operation agreements between the two on the cards.[28] In December, selected programming became available to SingNet BroadBand subscribers.[29] Broadcasts inTaiwan started on 1 February 2003 with CNA being a programme provider forEastern Television's Digital Channel, which also included five other foreign news providers.[30] On 17 April 2003, CNAMobile was launched, the first SMS headlines service in Singapore.[31]
The network reached new records in April 2003 due to theSARS-related specials. The specials drew in 1.4 million viewers accounting for its highest cumulative reach so far of 24%.[32] In August 2003, Mediacorp signed an agreement with AsiaSat to deliver CNA on AsiaSat-3S effective 1 September 2003. With this arrangement, broadcasts on Palapa C2 and APSTAR IIR would cease as AsiaSat-3S provided total digital support.[33] An agreement with MiTV inMalaysia was signed in August 2004.[34]
Mobile services started in February 2003 for SingTel Mobile subscribers[35] and later in June 2004 as a target for mobile TV reception for Nokia phones, by means of an embedded tuner developed by Mediacorp Technologies.[36] Broadcasts inThailand started in October 2004, after an agreement with the Thai Cable Television Association, which at the time comprised 170 member operators.[37][38]
By the time of its fifth anniversary, the network had reached 16 million households in 18 territories, with, in Singapore alone, attracting attention because of its mix of stories (Singapore, Asia, rest of the world) over various topics.[37] In November 2004, it started broadcasting to China after an agreement was signed with the China International Television Corporation in May.[39] By 2005 the channel was facing challenges: the channel had two markets that were difficult to penetrate (South Korea andJapan) due to the English-language barrier, as well as the possibility of launching a Mandarin version of CNA to improve the brand's reception in the region.[40]
The channel rebranded on 17 July 2006. The virtual set was removed and replaced by a physical "hard set".[41]
For the channel's tenth anniversary, the channel premieredAfter 12, about nightlife in Asian cities, the documentaryRice is Life andChannel NewsAsia @ 10, a documentary about its history and growth.[20] CNA received praise from the Programme Advisory Committee (Pace) on 2 September 2009 for, among other things, its coverage of the2008 United States presidential election and the political situation in Malaysia and Thailand.[42]
In August 2012, CNA agreed to be broadcast inMyanmar through satellite-TV operator Sky Net.[43] CNA opened its Myanmar news bureau in the capitalYangon in October 2013 – the bureau officially opened in January 2014 – as only one of four foreign news organisations licensed to operate in the country at the time.[44]
On 21 January 2013, CNA underwent a major relaunch, introducing a new studio at theMarina Bay Financial Centre, a newMumbai bureau, an expansion in programming, and the new slogan "Understand Asia". With the changes, CNA added additional news and current affairs programmes focusing on business and the "dynamism and progress" of Asia, and added the new late-night newscastNews Pulse (which would feature coverage of international headlines, predominantly involving the Americas and Europe) to expand into a 24-hour service. Managing director Debra Soon explained that "as the focus of the world economy shifts towards Asia, we believe we are well positioned to deliver what we've been doing daily since 1999, and help audiences around the world better Understand Asia."[45][46]
In July 2014, CNA opened itsVietnam bureau.[47] Other bureaus the channel had opened at the time were Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Seoul and Tokyo; unofficial offices were also maintained in other cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Washington D.C.[citation needed]
In September 2014, the channel announced plans to expand its studio in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, into a fully functional satellite office withhigh-definition capabilities.[48]
On 26 May 2015, CNA began broadcasting in high definition. In July 2015, CNA's reach was placed at 58 million households in 26 countries.[49] CNA began broadcasting in India on 19 November 2015, through satellite operatorTata Sky. The move extended the network's reach to 14 million households in India.[50]
On 1 August 2018, CNA was launched onAstro in Malaysia. It stayed on Channel 533 and moved to Channel 515 on 1 April 2020.
In March 2019, marking the network's 20th anniversary, Mediacorp announced that Channel NewsAsia would officially rebrand as "CNA" full-time, citing a need to abandon a "TV-centric" identity to emphasise its multi-platform operations. This would include the relaunch of itsnews radio station 938Now asCNA938, and the upcomingcitizen journalism initiative Tell CNA.[51][52]
In March 2024, the channel marked its 25th anniversary; CNA announced plans to further expand its presence in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, launch a website in theIndonesian language (which will leverage AI-based translation software developed in partnership with theAgency for Science, Technology and Research), and bringing back the programEast Asia Tonight beginning in April.[53] The channel formally launched in the UK on the Channelbox platform onFreeview in late April 2024 as afree ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel.[54] The network made its formal launch to North America on 13 June, with a FAST launch by June 2025.[55]
On 28 August 2024, it was announced that Mediacorp's digital publication and former newspaperToday would merge its operations into CNA effective 1 October 2024, with the brand being repurposed as a "digitallong-form weekend magazine".[56]
The logo of the channel is a red uppercase A, heightening theAsia in the official channel name. The A is shaped like an opendelta whose crossbar is lowered to represent an emerging Asia. The A is painted red representing its auspicious status in Asian cultures, as well as being "striking and bold". The channel's name is written in black, representing its status as a brand of record.[57] Its first rebrand was in September 2000, made by British firm English & Pockett.[58] The logo was updated in 2019.[51]
CNA has been criticised for its pro-government bias in Singapore. In its 12th biennial report released on 2 September 2009, Pace stipulated that "the broadcaster was adopting a conservative and careful approach in its reports and programmes", while being labelled as the "voice of the Government".[42]
CNA operates two broadcast feeds; a domestic feed is carried on terrestrial and subscription television in Singapore, which contains Singapore-specific news programming (such asSingapore Tonight) and promos for Mediacorp channels and properties. The international feed opts out of these programs, but also carries a simulcast of Channel 5's coverage of theSingapore National Day Parade annually on 9 August. Most cable and satellite systems carry the international feed in Asia. It is also streamed on CNA's YouTube channel worldwide.[60]