CNA (an acronym of its (former) name, Channel NewsAsia[1]) is a 24-hour multinational news television channel headquartered at the Mediacorp Campus in Queenstown, Singapore. It broadcasts free-to-air domestically and as a pay television channel to 29 territories across Asia and Oceania.[2][3]
 | |
| Country | Singapore |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | List
|
| Network | Mediacorp News |
| Headquarters | Mediacorp Campus, Singapore |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
| History | |
| Launched | 1 March 1999 |
| Former names | Channel NewsAsia |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Watch TV |
| Website |
|
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | UHF CH 33 570MHz DVB-T2 Channel 6 (HD) |
| myFreeview (Malaysia) | UHF CH 33 570MHz DVB-T2 Channel 6 (HD) (Johor Only) |
| Streaming media | |
| Astro | Astro GO |
| meWATCH | Live Stream (Singapore only) |
| Unifi TV | On Demand (HyppPlay) playTV@Unifi |
| YouTube | Live Stream |
The network has been positioned as an alternative to Western-based international media in its presentation of news from "an Asian perspective".[4] It is run by Mediacorp News Pte Ltd,[5] a subsidiary of the Singapore's media conglomerate Mediacorp Pte Ltd.[6]
Alongside its main focus as an English-language news television channel, CNA also broadcasts and produces news and current affairs content in Singapore's other official languages: Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Content is produced for Mediacorp's online platforms, with news bulletins made for and shown on the company's mass entertainment channels Suria, Channel 5, Channel U, Channel 8 and Vasantham in their respective languages.
CNA provides news broadcasts through its own domestic radio station. It also provides live streaming of world news through its official online portal,[7] and its social media presence through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube[8] and Twitter as well as apps for tablets and mobile devices to allow viewers to access content at any time.[9]
HistoryEdit
Channel NewsAsia was launched on 1 March 1999 under the Television Corporation of Singapore. The network aired only in Singapore at the beginning, as it was only focused on news from that country. It started to be distributed in other Asian countries on 28 September 2000.[10]
In August 2012, CNA reached an agreement to be broadcast in Myanmar through satellite-TV operator Sky Net.[11] CNA opened its Myanmar news bureau in the capital Yangon 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.[12]
On 21 January 2013, CNA underwent a major relaunch, introducing a new studio at the Marina Bay Financial Centre, 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 newscast News 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 locus 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."[13][14]
In July 2014, CNA opened its Vietnam bureau.[15] 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 with high definition capabilities.[16]
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.[17] CNA began broadcasting in India on 19 November 2015, through satellite operator Tata Sky. The move extended the network's reach to 14 million households in India,[18]
On 1 August 2018, CNA was launched on Astro in Malaysia. It stayed on Channel 533 and moved to Channel 515 on 1 April 2020.
In March 2019, Mediacorp announced that Channel NewsAsia would rebrand as "CNA" full-time, in an effort to abandon a "TV-centric" identity to emphasize its multi-platform operations. This would include the relaunch of its news radio station 938Now in as CNA Talk, and the upcoming citizen journalism initiative Tell CNA.[1][19]
ProgrammingEdit
Broadcast feedsEdit
CNA's programs are transmitted into two separate broadcast feeds:
- Domestic - the channel's official feed providing 24-hour news, talk and lifestyle coverage. The Domestic feed also contains Singapore-only content including local public service videos, Mediacorp promos, sports content limited by rights agreement with international sporting organisations, and (as in most international channels with domestic feeds) the national anthem Majulah Singapura every 06:00 SST. CNA Domestic is available to Singapore viewers via over-the-air, StarHub TV, Singtel TV, and Mediacorp's over-the-top streaming service meWATCH.
- International - almost identical to the Domestic feed, but also provides opt-outs during Domestic-only content and annual English commentary coverage of Singapore's National Day Parade every 9 August. The International feed is carried by most cable and satellite systems in Asia and, occasionally, in other parts of the world via livestreaming and (since 1 February 2019) on CNA's YouTube channel.[20]
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b "Channel NewsAsia to adopt 'CNA' as its brand name". CNA. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "About Channel NewsAsia". Mediacorp. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "Channel NewsAsia". Lyngsat. 30 January 2018. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ Michael Bromley; Angela Romano (12 October 2012). Journalism and Democracy in Asia. Routledge. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-134-25414-9. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "BizFile online business registry". Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) of Singapore. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ Tan, Chwee Huat (2002) [1997]. Singapore Financial and Business Sourcebook (2nd ed.). Singapore: NUS Press. p. 586. ISBN 9971692562. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ Tay, Vivienne (25 April 2017). "Channel NewsAsia undergoes "most extensive upgrade"". Marketing Interactive. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Mediacorp becomes YouTube's strategic content partner in Singapore". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Channel NewsAsia revamps app, website for better browsing experience". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Speech by DPM Lee Hsien Loong at the Asian launch of Channel NewsAsia at the Raffles Ballroom". National Archives of Singapore. Singapore: Media Division, Ministry of Information and the Arts. 28 September 2000. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Channel NewsAsia hits Myanmar's shores". Marketing. 29 August 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Channel NewsAsia opens bureau in Myanmar". TODAY. Singapore. 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Channel NewsAsia relaunches". OnScreenAsia. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
- ^ "Channel NewsAsia relaunches; adds Mumbai bureau". Indian Television. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ "Channel NewsAsia opens bureau in Vietnam". Channel NewsAsia. Singapore. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "CNA to launch satellite studio in Malaysia". Asia Broadcast Union. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ Thongtep, Watchiranont (6 July 2015). "Singapore expands its news outlets". The Nation. Bangkok, Thailand. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Tata Sky launches Singapore's Channel News Asia in India". The Economic Times. Mumbai, India. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "'We are much more than TV boxes' says Channel NewsAsia as it rebrands to CNA". Mumbrella Asia. 1 April 2019. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
- ^ "Mediacorp becomes YouTube's strategic content partner in Singapore". Channel NewsAsia. 1 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.