Mediacorp Merges okto, Channel 5

Singaporean broadcast group Mediacorp is shuttering its kids’ and sports network okto, with that content moving to Channel 5 and the digital platform Toggle, effective May 1.

“Mediacorp is home to content that brings Singaporean families together,” said Sapna Angural, head of the English audience at Mediacorp. “Our audiences straddle between the online and offline worlds and for us, this means consistently delivering high-quality content for the whole family, on television and digitally.”

okto will continue to have a presence on Toggle, delivering kids’ and family content. Sports programming will air on Channel 5 and on Toggle.

Irene Lim, chief customer officer at Mediacorp, noted, “Audiences are at the heart of everything we do in Mediacorp. These changes are reflective of our continuous commitment to understand the needs of our audiences and serve them better.”

Raymond Lye, chairman of the IMDA’s Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes (PACE), added, “The move is in keeping with our times. PACE has been given the assurance that the quality and quantity of kids’ programs we get on okto will remain unchanged when they move to Channel 5 and Toggle. As for sports coverage, we are assured of major sporting event coverage, especially where Team Singapore is involved. Given the changes in viewership habits, the integration of Channel 5 and okto working in combination with Toggle makes sense.”