MTV Networks' foray into drama production in Singapore (Media, September 5) has turned the spotlight on the city's expanding production capabilities.
In partnership with local production house, Mega Media, MTV plans to produce a 14-episode drama series at a cost of S$2 million (US$1.1 million).
While the deal is a coup for Singapore's Media Development Authority (MDA), which is actively encouraging the production of export quality content, some would argue that it does not in any way signal a flowering of the local production scene.
Take for instance, the locally-produced drama Holland V. Terrestrial broadcaster MediaCorp's Chinese Channel 8 often touts it as an all-time programming success.
But the exploits of the Mo family are unlikely to reach regional audiences beyond Malaysia and selective Southeast Asian countries because Singapore-produced modern dramas don't sell well overseas. Contrast that with Hong Kong TVB's production of the modern drama Kindred Spirit, which helped MediaWork's Channel U win the local TV ratings war last year by beating local and acquired productions of MediaCorp when it ran last year.
Is the contrast between the two productions proof that Singaporean TV productions have yet to come of age? Admittedly, the city's TV production industry is still a youthful business, with terrestrial broadcasters having long relied on foreign content. Chinese Channel 8 has about 30 per cent local content and English Channel 5 has just 10 to 15 per cent local content over an average 24-hour period.
At the younger MediaWorks, Channel U has just 25 per cent local content during a 16-hour day transmission, while Channel i has just 15 to 20 per cent local content in a 12-hour broadcast, including news.
To ensure there is "sufficient" local fare on the free-to-air channels, the MDA enforces a licensing requirement of a minimum 12 hours of local productions every week for the 7pm to 11pm prime-time. The Government also offers heavy subsidies to local fare produced by the two broadcasters.
Left to their own devices, the pair would likely base programming choices on economics. Local content costs twice as much to produce than buying foreign shows.
According to Chang Long Jong, CEO of MediaCorp Studios, an hour of local production costs $50,000 to $70,000 against US$5,000 to $20,000 to buy an hour of foreign shows. Compounding the cost issue, it's difficult to sell local shows overseas, making it harder to recoup production costs.
"What local viewers want and what can be syndicated overseas are very different," says Chang. "MediaCorp's research shows that viewers prefer programmes in local settings with characters they can relate to and come across in their daily lives. The bigger markets for Singapore's export, such as Taiwan and China, (however) prefer period costumes dramas, which are more expensive to produce."
MediaWorks' CEO Man Shu Sum thinks the "blessed" lifestyle of Singapore is not conducive to dramatic content that appeals to overseas audiences.
"If viewers want to spend an hour watching TV, they would prefer something like CSI rather than something as bland as Singapore dramas."
English productions are harder to sell overseas. Apart from MediaCorp's Under One Roof and Phua Chu Kang, which are popular in Malaysia, most of the rest have limited appeal outside Southeast Asia. Given the limited sales potential, both broadcasters cap local content level to prevent bottomlines bleeding red ink. MediaCorp currently caps local production to 400 to 450 hours per year. Of this, 300 to 350 hours are local modern dramas, a genre that doesn't sell as well as period costume dramas. "It's important to allow our growth of local content in tandem with the economy," says Chang. MediaWorks' strategy is to produce more infotainment local shows, which meet the advertisers' preferences for local content, are cheaper than dramas to produce at S$20,000 per hour and fare well enough in ratings, according to Man. Two-thirds of the 400 to 450 hours of local content currently produced by MediaWorks fit the infotainment genre.
Another strategy adopted by both broadcasters has been to lift the level of co-production with China and Taiwan to defray costs and expand distribution potential.
Of the total 450 hours of annual local production by MediaCorp, 100 to 150 hours are co-produced period costume dramas, which are all syndicated to Taiwan, China and Southeast Asia. A recent result is Moon Fairy, starring Fann Wong, which will be screened in Malaysia, Taiwan and China soon before it hits the home market by year's end after all 125 episodes of Holland V are finished. MediaWorks' Man anticipates its regional co-production ventures will increase because cost is lower ($30,000 - $40,000 for co-production versus $80,000 - $100,000 for local production) and the novelty of having overseas artistes appearing alongside Singapore talent will appeal to local audiences.
The MDA is also lending a helping hand to local productions, throwing money at producers who have a good idea that can travel beyond Singapore.
Under the Media 21 initiatives launched earlier this year, it has allocated $50 million to be dispersed over the next five years to creative TV projects that have high export value.
It is already seeing a modicum of success. Productions by independent producers, such as psychic drama Restless and documentary Quiet Mind, have since been distributed in North America.
The MDA has equally high hopes for newly-announced cooperative deals between local producers and regional cable and satellite broadcasters such as MTV and Discovery Channel.
MTV's executive vice-president, Southeast Asia and mobile, Lee Choek Yew, who was head of MediaWorks until April this year, believes that the "brand power" of MTV and Discovery will help Singaporean productions to travel further. But will Singapore's broadcasters accomplish what Hong Kong's TVB has achieved in quality and quantity of syndicated content?
Both MediaWorks' Man and MTV's Lee think the TVB act will be hard to emulate because of its "long history" in production.
Zenithmedia Singapore's CEO Kenneth Tsang observes: "Local programming has come a long way, but is still not at the edge. There is room for more local programming but the ratio is a difficult one - they need to pull in the ratings."
Which brings us to what advertisers want. Carat Singapore's CEO Margaret Foo said advertisers don't need more local shows on terrestrial TV especially if they have to foot a bigger bill. "The quality of local programming, expecially English programmes, has not come of age. It does not matter if there are no local productions - what matters more is the quality of the programmes, be it local or imported." In fact Foo believes the terrestrials should increase the quantity of foreign programming to attract local audiences as "TV viewership on SCV (a pay-TV service) has increased due to free-TV's poor programming".
TOP 5 PROGRAMMES: WHEN FAMILIARITY BREEDS APPEAL
ENGLISH PROGRAMMES
People 4+
TITLE/DESCRIPTION Channel Ratings% Source/Genre
National Day Parade 2003 CH5 12.7 Local/'live' event
National Day Rally 2003 CH5 9.3 Local/'live' event
Blockbuster Sunday Movie/ CH5 9.0 Acquired/movie
What Women Want
Singapore's Brainiest Kid CH5 8.9 Local/game show
Holiday Movie/Lost World, CH5 8.6 Acquired/movie
Jurassic Park
CHINESE PROGRAMMES
People 4+
TITLE/DESCRIPTION Channel Ratings% Source/Genre
Holland V CH8 21.9 Local/drama
National Day Parade 2003 CH8 18.9 Local/'live' event
Sunday Prime Movie / CH8 18.8 Local/movie
I Not Stupid
Love is Beautiful CH8 18.1 Local/drama
Who Wants to be a
Millionaire 4 CH8 16.6 Acquired/game show
Source: TNS.