The Real Reason Why TVMobile Was Discontinued in Singapore

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TVMobile was Mediacorp’s “digital television on wheels.” Research began in 1997 and it launched on 14 Feb 2001, during a hot media war with SPH’s MediaWorks. The idea was bold for its time, when “digital” wasn’t mainstream and Nokia bricks ruled. MediaWorks even floated a similar Channel OOH! concept, but details fizzled out.

Rolling it out was massive: monitors and 8–10 speakers were fitted across more than 1,500 SBS Transit buses, costing about $50 million. Programming was scheduled by dayparts: newsier content in the morning, lighter shows and music videos in the afternoon, and general entertainment in the evening, often remembered for Just for Laughs. Audio was soft, with an option to tune in at 89.3 MHz. People found it fresh at first, though early screens froze often until reliability improved in 2003.

Reception stayed mixed. Many enjoyed having something to watch, others said it disturbed bus quiet time. Still, TVMobile grew with interactive SMS messages and exclusive content, and by 2005 most SBS buses had it. Then on 15 Dec 2009, Mediacorp announced TVMobile would end on 1 Jan 2010, citing high operating and maintenance costs and the end of its agreement with SBS Transit, right as smartphones (hello, iPhone 2007) started grabbing everyone’s attention.

The “comeback” isn’t the old TV in buses, but the same noise problem from a new source: commuters playing videos loudly on their phones. The device that helped kill TVMobile now creates similar audio clutter.