StarHub gears up for pay-TV battle

The DDB-created three-spot TV blitz aims to strike home the proposition that cable TV is the best form of entertainment, and a treat for those you love. The campaign comes amid increasing signs that SingTel is looking to enter the pay-TV market, while free-to-air monopoly MediaCorp TV will roll out an IPTV trial to make its own content available via broadband internet. SingTel's own pay-TV aspirations are also expected to take the IPTV route, leveraging on the telco giant's extensive broadband network in the city. A SingTel spokesperson said: "We have not made a decision on IPTV at this point in time." The comment follows a statement by SingTel consumer business EVP Lim Chuan Poh in the Straits Times that the telco will decide by the end of 2006 whether to launch a pay-TV service. The new StarHub campaign, launching in the week of February 26 on channels 5, 8 and Channel News Asia, will be supported by outdoor advertising. According to DDB Singapore CEO David Tang, the campaign is also looking to communicate that StarHub Digital Cable offers a comprehensive range of channels for the whole family. Each TVC, accordingly, depicts how different members of the family can benefit from the various content choices available on StarHub. "These three commercials bring out the emotional appeal of StarHub Digital Cable TV," said Tang. "There's no doubt StarHub has the content edge, so this is really about indulgence for the significant others in the family. It's very Singaporean, it tugs at the heartstrings and, hopefully, at the purse-strings as well." While StarHub currently holds exclusive arrangements with content providers such as HBO, ESPN and CNN, it is believed that Singapore's Media Development Authority is currently reviewing the island state's licensing framework. Two years ago, SingTel shelved plans to bid for a second pay-TV licence, ostensibly because of the exclusive nature of StarHub's content deals.