NewsVision was the first Singaporean subscription television channel. Owned by Singapore Cable Vision, the channel aired a mix of live and pre-recorded news bulletins from various sources, as well as a repeat of the news from Channel 5. It was eventually replaced by CNN International.
NewsVision, the first of the three SCV channels, launched on 2 April 1992. Initially the channel's schedule consisted of rebroadcasts of CNN International, [1] in a bid it won in December 1991 over BBC World Service Television, due to the technical limitations of the initial service. [2] NewsVision carried eight minutes of advertising per hour, being shared between local ad slots and those from the relays of CNN International. [3]
NewsVision's CNN coverage was supplemented by the ITN World News and simulcasts of the 9pm SBC News bulletin. [4] By July 1993, NewsVision had added content from the NHK, the news bulletin of the recently-launched Australia Television International and its newest addition, a half-hour BBC World Service Television bulletin from Monday to Saturday. [5]
SBC 5 aired a commercial for NewsVision on 5 October 1993 during the news, where a boxing glove repeatedly punched a television screen to reveal the names of the partners (CNNI, ITN, BBC, NHK, ATVI). The commercial announced that Singaporeans now had access to 24-hour news coverage, which SBC saw as a challenge to its operation. [6] By January 1995, it had added programmes from Asia Business News. [7]
It is unknown when exactly did NewsVision shut down; the launch of SCV's full cable service in June 1995 provided 24-hour access to its partner channels (ABN, NHK, BBC World, CNN International). [8]