![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Mediacorp_Channel_U_2023.svg/640px-Mediacorp_Channel_U_2023.svg.png&w=640&q=50)
Channel U (Singaporean TV channel)
Singaporean Chinese-language television channel / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Channel U (marketed as U頻道, formerly named 優頻道) is a Mandarin-language free-to-air terrestrial television channel in Singapore, owned by state media conglomerate Mediacorp.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2021) |
![]() | |
Country | Singapore |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Singapore Malaysia (Johor) Indonesia (Riau Islands) |
Headquarters | Mediacorp Campus, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore 138507 |
Programming | |
Language(s) | Chinese dialects (e.g. Mandarin) Korean Thai English (subtitles) |
Picture format | 1080i 16:9 HDTV |
Ownership | |
Owner | Mediacorp |
Sister channels | |
History | |
Launched | 6 May 2001; 23 years ago (2001-05-06) |
Links | |
Website | Official Site |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
Digital terrestrial television | UHF CH 33 570MHz DVB-T2 Channel 7 (HD) |
Streaming media | |
meWATCH | Available on meWATCH website or mobile app (Singapore only) |
The channel was first established in 2001 by SPH MediaWorks—a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings—as one of two new FTA channels launched by the company (alongside the English-language TVWorks, later renamed Channel i). While it eventually became competitive with MediaCorp's Channel 8 in viewership, Channel i was struggling to compete with MediaCorp's Channel 5, and the company operated at a loss.
In 2004, SPH announced an agreement to divest its television stations and free newspaper business to MediaCorp in exchange for a stake in its television and publishing businesses. As a result, MediaCorp took over Channel U on 1 January 2005, positioning it as a counterpart to Channel 8 targeting a youth and young adult audience.