Okto
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| Country | Singapore |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Singapore Johor Bahru/Johor Bahru District (Malaysia) Batam/Batam Islands, Riau Islands (Indonesia) |
| Network | Mediacorp TV12 (19 October 2008-30 April 2019) Mediacorp TV (1 May 2019-present) |
| Headquarters | Mediacorp Campus, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore 138507 |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English Chinese |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
| History | |
| Launched | 19 October 2008 (as a standalone channel) 1 May 2019 (as a children's block on Channel 5) 6 February 2021 (as a children's block on Channel 8) |
| Closed | 30 April 2019 (as a standalone channel) |
| Replaced by | Channel 5, Channel 8 and meWatch (children's programs) Channel 5 and meWatch (sports programming) |
Okto is a Singaporean children's programming block broadcast by Mediacorp's Channel 5 in English and Channel 8 in Mandarin Chinese.
The brand originally operated as a standalone free-to-air channel from 19 October 2008 to 1 May 2019, using the channel space formerly occupied by the-defunct Channel i, having been spun off from the Arts Central and Kids Central strands aired by Central (whose Tamil language programming had been concurrently spun off as channel Vasantham). The channel also occasionally aired sports programming.
On 1 May 2019, the channel was discontinued, and Okto transitioned to becoming a children's block on Channel 5. The brand was later extended to Channel 8 in Chinese.
History[edit]
In March 2008, MediaCorp announced that it would split its channel Central into two separate channels; a channel serving the Indian community, and a channel focused on arts and children's programming.[1] On 19 October 2008, the channel officially launched as Okto, alongside the new Tamil channel Vasantham.[2][3]
Okto was split into two strands; children's programming occupied most of the lineup, while programming from evening to closedown focused on arts and cultural programming. From 2011, this programming was broadcast under the title Arts on Okto (A-OK).
In 2017, arts programming was dispersed from Okto to other Mediacorp channels, and the timeslots of a sports block which was introduced on June 2014 was extended.[4][5]
On 1 May 2019, Okto was discontinued as a standalone channel, with its children's programming becoming a daytime block on Channel 5 under the Okto on 5 branding, and a content brand on Mediacorp's streaming platform Toggle; previously, Channel 5's daytime programming largely consisted of a simulcast of Mediacorp's news channel CNA. Okto's sports programming was also moved to Toggle and Channel 5.[6] Okto's channel license was subsequently surrendered to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).[7]
On 6 February 2021, the Okto brand was extended to Channel 8's children's programming block 乐乐窝 (Lè Lè Wō), which was rebranded as Okto尽在8' (Okto on 8)
Programming[edit]
Since its standalone channel era, Okto mostly aired English language-produced series with selected shows being broadcast in their original language. The channel aired mostly children's programmes, as well as some arts and sports programmes. The channel's target audiences were children aged 2–13, and adults aged 18–39.[5]
From June 2014 to 30 April 2019, Sports on Okto (later renamed as OktoSports) was introduced which showed sporting events live as well as recorded and delayed coverage.
References[edit]
- ^ Wong, Alicia (1 March 2008). "Dedicated Indian and kids TV channels". Today (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Two more to savour". Today (retrieved from NLB). 21 October 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ Wong, Alicia (1 March 2008). "Dedicated Indian and kids TV channels". Today (retrieved from NLB). Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Okto's new lineup includes children". Television Asia Plus. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Mediacorp refreshes okto with new kids and premium sports content". Mediacorp.sg. 22 April 2017. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ "Mediacorp integrates English-language channels Channel 5 and okto". Channel NewsAsia. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ "Mediacorp integrates English-language channels Channel 5 and okto". Channel NewsAsia. 20 February 2019. Archived from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.