Singaporean, Chinese Companies Partner for Subway Drama

SINGAPORE: The new drama A Starry Night is being produced for broadcast on trains and in train stations across Singapore and China, reaching a potential 15 million daily commuters.

A joint initiative of the Media Development Authority of Singapore, Singaporean interactive media firm Ufinity and the Chinese media outfit Prime Time Entertainment, A Starry Night will be produced by Singapore’s Threesixzero Productions. It focuses on a young man who leaves Shanghai to study in Singapore and falls in love with a Singaporean singer. The project is being supported by SMRT Media, which provides ad opportunities on Singapore’s SMRT transportation system, and Digital Media Group, which delivers entertainment, advertising and information to 14 million passengers a day through more than 16,000 digital screens on 30 subway lines in nine key cities in China.

Set to premiere in the second half of the year, the show is expected to be screened on at least 16,452 television displays, targeting 1.4 million daily passenger trips in Singapore and a captive audience of 14 million commuters in seven Chinese cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Tianjing, Nanjing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The 50-part Mandarin-language show will consist of 2.5-minute episodes. After its subway rollout, the project will be expanded into a feature film for theatrical release. Plans are also in the works to repurpose the content for other platforms, such as online and mobile phones.

Dr Christopher Chia, MDA’s CEO, noted: “Singapore’s first subway drama, A Starry Night, will be traveling in more ways than one—it will be enjoyed by commuters on the go; and will also be the vehicle bringing the best of Singapore’s production capability, musical talents and picturesque locations to viewers within and beyond Singapore. We are proud to support Ufinity in this groundbreaking collaboration, which will take Made-by-Singapore content across borders and onto an exciting array of platforms."