Inception of TV Singapura
"Television was first introduced to Singapore in February 1963. In the first one-and-a-half years, over 54,000 sets had been licensed... And those who cannot afford to own sets can see television in all the community centres in Singapore."
Speech by Minister for Culture, S. Rajaratnam at the
Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of Television Singapura
20 November 1964
Television Singapura was launched as a pilot monochrome service on 15 February 1963. On 2 April 1963, less than two months after the inauguration of the pilot service, the regular service (Channel 5) was established with extended hours of transmission. On 23 November 1963, a second channel (Channel 8) was introduced and hours of transmission were further extended.
In Singapore, many events of national importance took place in 1963 - the key events includedthe Southeast Asia Cultural Festival and the General Elections on September 21. In thousands of homes and community centres, people who were not able to attend these various events were still able to follow them through Radio and Television.
Click here to see footage of the inception of TV Singapura. (Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore).