Declining Popularity
Competition from Cable TV
It is no secret that the technology today offers a variety of choices for viewers. In Singapore, free-to-air channel have competition in the form of cable tv, which is represented by Singel’s mio TV, and StarHub Cable TV (SCV). As of September 2012, SCV boasts of 543,000 subscribers while Singtel has 391,000. Collectively, both cable tv companies offer over 300 channels to more than 900,000 subscribers. In turn, Suria as a free-to-air channel receives competition from cable tv’s malay language channels such as Astro Warna and Astro Ria from mio, and also Sensasi and ONE from SCV. Additionally, in 2013, StarHub launched Singapore’s first dedicated Malay movie channel called “Dunia Sinema On Demand”. Two new TV bundle packs were also launched for their Malay audience.
For Dunia Sinema channel, 15 Malay blockbuster titles are offered every month, in which a mix of new and old titles will be launched. The bundle pack “Impian”, comprises of seven channels - the new Dunia Sinema On Demand (Channel 120), KBS World (Channel 115), KBS World HD (Channel 875), MNC Business (Channel 121), MNC International (Channel 122), Sensasi (Channel 123) and ONE (Malay) (Channel 124). Korean channels were included to cater to the demand for Korean content by malay viewers.
As such, with a variety of channels to watch at reasonable prices, Suria faces heavy competition in maintaining viewership.
Competition from Indonesia and Malaysia and even Korean shows
Sensasi, Astro Warna, Astro Ria, ONE, MNC International, MNC Business, and now even the malay voiceovered Korean channel, KBS World, represent options to the malay community for what they choose to view. Furthermore, these channels offer a wide variety of show and are more often than not, 24 hours in nature.
Firstly, the audience may be more attracted to these channels as they represent a different genre than Suria. Shows on Suria are based on a familial or community theme that addresses social issues such as ageism (eg. Ingat Tak Mak) and neighbor relations (eg. Tetangga). On the other hand, shows on cable tv have widely ranged themes from love, to education, to abuse, and many more. Secondly, shows on Suria are often interrupted by advertisements, and often it feels like half the show has been taken up by advertisements. On the other hand, paying for cable tv means that there are no interruptions while the show is going on. Thirdly, Suria has limited actors and actresses, which means that the widely known Suria actors and actresses are overused and may appear in too many shows. Undeniably, cable tv has many more actors and actresses who may be even more popular than those under Suria. As such, these factors contribute to the rising viewership of cable tv.
Even currently, Suria broadcasts Malaysia and Indonesia shows, such as Sephia, Cinte Berkalang Noda, Perang KL, Cinta Madinah, Sembilu, and many more. These are well known drama series which were widely watched by the malay community. Hence with more foreign drama series dominating Suria, one must wonder the fate of locally made productions.
