MUMBAI: Movie buffs in Singapore will have a new and convenient option to watch recently released movies in the comfort of their homes whenever they want.
From tomorrow, 28 June 2005, Digital Cable customers of the Singapore-based information and communications company Star Hub can select a movie, a preferred viewing slot and catch the show without stepping out of their living rooms.
As with watching movies in the cinemas, they only pay for what they choose to watch. All these are possible with StarHub Digital Cable's launch of Demand TV. the company states that this is Singapore's only Near Video-On-Demand (NVOD) service on television.
Demand TV will offer critically acclaimed independent movies, and Hollywood blockbusters. There will be an average of 10 titles to choose from at any one time, and these will be scheduled over 20 Demand TV channels (StarHub Channels 120 to 139). Each movie will be aired in different timeslots, with intervals ranging from 30 minutes to two hours. One new title will be added to replace an older one at the beginning of each week.
StarHub senior VP, cable TV services Sandie Lee said, "Each customer has unique needs. With that in mind, StarHub has constantly been enhancing our cable TV offerings. Today, we are one of the very few cable operators in the world that offer customers a say in the channels that form their basic tiers. The introduction of Demand TV is further proof of our commitment to give customers flexibility, choice and control.
"With Demand TV, consumers can enjoy a chosen programme at their most convenient time, for a very affordable price. Demand TV further sets apart StarHub Digital Cable from other local service providers, offering yet another dimension to viewing pleasure unmatched by anyone else in Singapore."
Customers of Demand TV will catch the first-ever airing of the movies on local television, as StarHub will schedule the films as soon as three to six months after their theatrical releases in Singapore. For starters viewers can catch Hollywood titles such as Spiderman 2, Hellboy, 50 First Dates, White Chicks and Secret Window.
They can also look forward to award-winning or critically acclaimed titles from around the world including Les Choristes (France), City Of God (Brazil), The Return (Russian) and Nobody Knows (Japanese). In addition, there will be some movies that are rated 16 or 18 such as Kevin Bacon's The Woodsman.
Very soon, Demand TV may also screen movies that are not available in local cinemas, or introduce special theme packages such as Bollywood movies and foreign-language films.
"While our present line-up for Demand TV is solely made up of movies, we are not ruling out the addition of content from other genres, such as concerts and mini-series. Our plans for these will depend on the response and desires of our customers" Lee says.
