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| Country | Singapore |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Singapore Malaysia (Johor) Indonesia (Riau Islands) |
| Network | Mediacorp TV12 |
| Headquarters | Mediacorp Campus, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore 138507 |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Tamil |
| Picture format | 1080i 16:9 HDTV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Mediacorp |
| Sister channels | Channel 5 Channel 8 Channel U Suria CNA |
| History | |
| Launched | 19 October 2008; 15 years ago (2008-10-19) |
| Links | |
| Website | Vasantham |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Digital terrestrial television | UHF CH 31 554MHz DVB-T2 Channel 5 (HD) |
| Streaming media | |
| meWATCH | Available on meWATCH website or mobile app (Singapore only) |
Vasantham (Tamil: வசந்தம், lit. 'Spring') is a Tamil-language free-to-air terrestrial television channelinSingapore, owned by state media conglomerate Mediacorp. The channel broadcasts entertainment and news programming targeting the Singaporean Indian community.
Since the inception of television broadcasting in Singapore, Tamil-language programming had been broadcast by Mediacorp and its predecessors via its existing channels; after having carried programming in all four of Singapore's official languages on Channel 5 and 8, the channels were split on 30 March 1973. Channel 5 would focus on English and Malay, and Channel 8 would focus on Chinese and Tamil.[1]
On 1 September 1995, Channel 12—which took on Malay programming after Channel 5 relaunched as an English-language channel a year prior—relaunched as Prime 12, and Tamil programming moved to the channel. With the move, Tamil output increased from an average of 10 hours per-week to 16 hours.[2]
In September 1999, Singapore Television Twelve announced changes to its two channels, with Tamil programming moving from Prime 12 to Central, which was rebranded from Premiere 12, in January next year.[3] The Vasantham brand was introduced for Tamil programming on 30 January 2000, when Prime 12 was relaunched as the Malay-specific Suria, and Premiere 12 (a channel that took on Channel 12's arts and culture programming after the launch of Prime 12)[1] relaunched as Central; "Vasantham Central" would be one of the three main program strands carried by Central.[4][5]
In February 2008, it was announced that Central would be discontinued, and that its Kids Central and Vasantham Central strands would be spun-off as full-time channels.[6] The new channels—Vasantham and Okto—would launch in 19 October 2008.[7]
Vasantham broadcasts from 9:00 a.m. SGT daily, signing off at 12:00 a.m. SGT on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, 12:30 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and 1:30 a.m. on Saturdays. A simulcast of Mediacorp's Tamil-language radio station Oli 968 is carried during the overnight and morning hours until sign-on.
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| Defunct |
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See also: Mass media in Singapore | |
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Mediacorp Vasantham TV dramas
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