SINGAPORE LAUNCHES NATIONAL MEDIA BLUEPRINT

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, June 16 (Bernama) -- Singapore Tuesday launched its national
media blueprint, the Singapore Media Fusion Plan (SMFP), to transform the
city-state into a trusted global capital for new Asia media.

The plan, launched at BroadcastAsia 2009 at Singapore Expo, will link with
other initiatives to strengthen the country's media ecosystem, fuel the creation
of innovative content and services with global appeal, and develop world-class
talents to support the industry.

Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) chief executive officer Dr
Christopher Chia said the plan, which supports the republic's transition to a
creative economy, was the city-state's response to the altered global landscape.

"The media sector is in the midst of dynamic change, driven by convergence
and the rise of Asia as a content powerhouse and one of the most influential
markets in the world," he said.

Chia said the plan would help Singapore companies to respond to the fresh
opportunities in the new Asia media, be it content, services or applications,
and leveraging on the country's strengths and strategic location as an East-West
gateway.

SMFP sets out three strategies to propel the media sector forward, namely
providing the best environment for media business, leveraging research and
development to help the media sector exploit new opportunities in the digital
media value chain, and making the country connected to the world to enhance the
international appeal of Singapore-made content, applications and services.

Funds of S$230 million have been allocated to drive the initiatives under
the plan, and coming on top of S$500 million already committed to interactive
digital media research and development.
-- BERNAMA