Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) today launched its new IPTV service, mio TV. Available in the city-state, its initial offering is of 33 channels including blockbuster movies and offerings from the BBC.
Starting from tomorrow, willing subscribers will a minimum monthly fee of 15 Singaporean dollars per month for a mix of channels, ranging from $3.21 for Zee Music to $12.84 for programmes displayed in high-definition.
SingTel claims that its service will revolutionise the way Singaporeans watch television, by allowing viewers to indulge in what they want, when they want, without being tied down to fixed program schedules or rigid subscription packages.
A television shake-up
The firm hopes mio TV will shake-up the monopoly on pay TV in the country, currently held by StarHub, whose minimum cable fee stands at $29.96 Singaporean dollars.
To achieve this, SingTel is promising to pump $30 million into the project over the next fiscal year, offering the largest range of Video on Demand titles in Singapore.
There’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition, but can Singapore’s IPTV new kids on the block win out against a such deep-rooted opposition, and could similar IPTV business models spread further afield, threatening the likes of DirecTV in North America?
