Response by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, at the Committee of Supply Debate on Mci’S Budget on Friday, 8 Mar 2013

RESPONSE BY DR YAACOB IBRAHIM, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION, AT THE COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY DEBATE ON MCI’S BUDGET ON FRIDAY, 8 MAR 2013

FOSTERING AN INFORMED SOCIETY AND A VIBRANT MEDIA SCENE

ENHANCING PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCAST CONTENT

1. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sim Ann spoke about our investment in libraries to foster a knowledgeable people. Another important investment is strengthening our Public Service Broadcast (or PSB).

2. Like libraries, PSB programmes are also funded by the Government. Indeed, we see both as important public goods. They both help foster a knowledgeable people who are appreciative of our past, informed of the present, and prepared for the future.

3. Last year, some 4.4 million viewers tuned in to PSB programmes on free-to-air TV. PSB programmes offered online at xinmsn.com had 5 million views.

4. I thank Mr Baey Yam Keng for affirming the importance of PSB and its role in building a Singaporean identity and fostering social cohesion.

5. The Government recognises the value of public service broadcasting to Singaporeans. We have thus continued to support bringing PSB programmes to our people, even after we stopped collecting radio and TV licence fees in 2011. We are also taking steps to enhance the quality of locally-produced PSB programmes. This was recommended by the PSB Review Panel, whose members were drawn from the community, the media industry and academia. The Government accepted the Panel’s recommendations last year, and we boosted support for PSB with a 35 percent increase in funding, with $630 million spread over five years.

6. With the increased budget, the Media Development Authority (or MDA) has begun to roll out the Panel’s recommendations. It worked with MediaCorp to develop and test pilot episodes for PSB programmes. This pilot testing enables programme concepts to be refined through a

1 feedback process. We hope this will result in more PSB programmes that better resonate with viewers.

7. MediaCorp piloted three episodes in October last year. Audiences – in the studio and online – voted for their favourite programme concepts. They also gave useful ideas on how to improve the programmes.

8. After pilot testing and taking in viewers’ feedback, MediaCorp will be producing three full drama series later this year: Mata Mata 1 on Channel 5; Di Luar Garisan (Out of Line) 2 on Suria; and Veethi Varai (Estate) 3 on Vasantham. MediaCorp will continue engaging viewers on more pilot episodes.

9. Besides engaging viewers for feedback, we need innovative ideas to keep good PSB programmes coming through the pipeline. MDA launched the PSB Contestable Funds Scheme in July last year. This opens PSB funds to both FTA and non-FTA broadcasters. We want to encourage a diversity of ideas from a variety of players. MediaCorp has been awarded funding under the scheme, and we hope to see more non-FTA broadcasters participate.

10. The PSB Contestable Funds Scheme also encourages broadcasters to deliver content on multiple platforms, thereby spurring them to be more innovative. It will take time, but we are moving toward a future where PSB content can be viewed beyond FTA TV – on pay TV, on the Internet, and on our mobile devices. So, it is quality PSB content on the go, anywhere and anytime.

11. Parts of that exciting future are already here. In February this year, MediaCorp launched Toggle – its “Over-the-Top”, or OTT service. Toggle includes locally-produced programmes from MediaCorp’s free-to-air TV channels. Viewers can access them on- demand for free, via the Internet and selected mobile devices. Major national events will also be streamed “live”. In fact, the recent 2013 Budget Speech was streamed “live” on Toggle. Come August, Singaporeans will be able to enjoy watching the National Day Parade on

1 Mata Mata (Policemen) is set in post-war (1950s-60s) Singapore. Inspired by real-life events, it chronicles the adventures of three women police officers from the first Women Constabulary here. 2 Di Luar Garisan (Out of Line) is a police drama that shows different investigative processes, and how psychology and science play an important part in helping the police solve criminal cases. 3 Veethi Varai (Estate) chronicles the everyday issues faced by a multi-generational Indian family living in a HDB estate.

2 their mobile devices. MediaCorp also plans to extend free local content from Toggle to overseas Singaporeans in the middle of this year.

12. The increased PSB funding will also benefit the production sector as we reach out to a diversity of players to produce better quality PSB programmes. This will help attract and retain talent, thereby sustaining and strengthening our local broadcasting and production ecosystem.

13. However, we recognise that the TV industry is still dependent on advertising revenue. We thus see more entertainment programmes on TV, as they are more popular with viewers. But TV can do more than entertain. I believe it can play a key role in fostering a knowledgeable people through a strong line-up of quality informative and educational programmes.

14. Hence, the Government will invest another $182 million over the next four years, dedicated to supporting more locally-produced documentaries and current affairs programmes. We currently have a few good, informative programmes on TV – for example, Channel 8’s Tuesday Report and Channel NewsAsia’s Insight . Singaporeans can look forward to more of such programmes as we ramp up production in our four official languages – English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil. These programmes will cover a wide variety of issues such as our culture and heritage, the environment, and public housing.

15. One example of the type of quality local documentaries that we want to see more is History from the Hills . The video shows a trailer of the programme, which was aired on MediaCorp’s okto earlier this year. The programme recounted the history of our nation through stories revolving around the Bukit Brown cemetery – starting from the first grave dated 1833 to the closure of the cemetery in 1973. It shed light on our past, and brought to life important pieces of Singapore’s heritage.

16. With the additional funding, we hope to bring more of such insightful and interesting programmes to our people – not only to inform and educate, but also to inspire our people to pursue and fulfil their dreams.

CO-REGULATION

17. I will now address other issues that Mr Zaqy Mohamad has raised, which relate to the Government’s approach toward content regulation.

18. Our objective in classifying content is to enable consumers to make informed choices. Through classification, we get to enjoy a vibrant media scene, with a wide variety of choices to suit our needs when we turn on the television or go to the movies. At the same time, we ensure that our young grow up in a safe media environment, with parents helping to guide them in making the right choices.

19. Classification is not the job of MDA alone; we have to consider the views and needs of our society. So, MDA takes a co-regulatory approach. It actively consults the industry and the community in developing content guidelines. This process gives MDA invaluable insight into our people’s diverse views and sentiments, even as we come together to shape our common space. Industry co-regulation is not new. It has long been the practice with the broadcast and print industries, where the industry takes responsibility for ensuring that the content adheres to MDA’s content guidelines.

20. I would like to take this opportunity to affirm the importance of our partnership with the industry and the community. Building on that, I am pleased to announce that we will be introducing co-regulation for videos and the arts.

21. First, under a new video co-regulatory scheme, video distributors will be able to self-classify videos up to PG13 rating. This will facilitate industry growth. It will also benefit both video distributors and consumers as new video titles will be made available faster. As more than 70 percent of the video titles that MDA currently classifies are PG13 and below, the potential benefits are substantial.

22. At the same time, I would like to assure Mr Zaqy and Honourable Members that safeguards are in place to ensure that these self-classified videos will be in line with existing content guidelines. Only qualified content assessors will be allowed to self-classify content. I am pleased to say that MDA has worked with the Workforce Development Agency and the Singapore Media Academy to train content assessors. So far, 50 content assessors have been trained. This will facilitate the roll-out of the scheme when the Films Act is amended to cater for industry self- classification.

23. Second, we will also introduce co-regulation for the arts. Currently, all arts performances are classified and licensed by MDA on a per event

4 basis. But for a majority of arts performances, this will no longer be the case with the introduction of a two-tier Term Licensing Scheme.

24. I am pleased to announce that all arts groups will be invited to join Tier 1 Term Licensing. Tier 1 groups will be able to self-classify performances that fall under a “General” rating, and which do not have racial, religious or political content. This will cover the majority of arts performances in Singapore – up to 90 percent if we go by performances classified in 2012. Arts groups will be able to stage as many performances as they want during the one-year licence period, and the licence will be renewable. Furthermore, they need not pay licensing fees to MDA for self-classified performances.

25. Even as we empower our arts groups to self-classify content, term licensees need to exercise this function responsibly. Arts groups need to provide accurate classification ratings and consumer advisories so that the public can make informed choices. Given that classification is an important responsibility that needs to be exercised with care, all Tier 1 Term Licensees will need to furnish a $1,000 performance bond signed by a guarantor. There is no need to make an upfront cash payment.

26. Going one step further, Tier 2 Term Licensees will be able to self- classify all performances up to the “Restricted, or R18” rating – the highest rating for arts events. Because they can self-classify performances that deal with potentially sensitive issues such as race or religion, Tier 2 arts groups need to have an established track record over three or more years in order to qualify. This involves adhering to licence conditions, being consistent in providing the necessary consumer advice in publicity materials, and being responsive to community feedback about potentially controversial content.

27. The qualifying criteria for Tier 2 Term Licence that I have just outlined are not meant to discourage any arts groups from participating in the scheme. The criteria are meant to set a minimal benchmark for self-classification to be done in a responsible manner.

28. We target to amend the Films Act and Public Entertainment and Meetings Act early next year to provide for video self-classification and arts term licensing.

29. Besides extending co-regulation, we will also be reviewing how we regulate content across different forms of media. As I mentioned in my earlier speech, the Media Convergence Review Panel had

5 recommended the harmonisation of content regulation. The Panel envisaged that the same piece of content would be labelled with the same age rating, whether it is delivered through TV broadcast and film or through the Internet. I agree with the intent to make our classification system more intuitive and helpful to consumers. We will take steps to harmonise content regulation across all platforms.

30. I would like to address one more question from Mr Baey Yam Keng. He asked if more local news articles from The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao could be provided for free online. This would be a commercial decision for the newspapers to make.

CONCLUSION

31. To sum up, I would like to reiterate that the Government is committed to fostering a knowledgeable society. We will extend access to library resources, equip our people to harness the power of information, and provide quality PSB programmes that inform, connect, and inspire our people. In all our efforts, we are actively engaging and collaborating with industry and community partners, as I believe that collectively, we can better provide quality public goods that meet the diverse needs of our people.

32. Another point that was raised by Ms Low, on leveraging the potential of Next Gen NBN. The Next Gen NBN that is currently being deployed provides nationwide high-speed broadband access up to 1GB to all physical infrastructures including homes, schools, government buildings, business and hospitals. With this network, households and businesses will be able to access more information with rich content at a faster speed. More than 350 schools will tap into our network, which will benefit teaching, learning and assessment applications that may be bandwidth- intensive. Consumers will also enjoy lower broadband connectivity prices back in 2009 when the Next Gen NBN was launched. So with this Madam Chairman, we will move forward, through co- regulation with video distributors and arts groups, we hope to encourage a more vibrant media and arts scene that will bring more choices and quality content to our people.

########