Suria (TV channel)
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| Country | Singapore |
|---|---|
| Network | Mediacorp TV12 |
| Headquarters | Mediacorp Campus, 1 Stars Avenue, Singapore 138507 |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Malay |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Mediacorp |
| Parent | Temasek Holdings |
Suria (Malay for Sun) is a Singaporean free-to-air channel owned by Mediacorp. The channel broadcasts popular Malay television series, either originally produced by Mediacorp or imported from Malaysia.
History
The channel was launched as Channel 12 on 31 January 1984 with cultural programming on its line-up. The channel aired some sports events such as the Summer and Winter Olympics, Asian Games, SEA Games, Commonwealth Games, FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, European Cup (later renamed the UEFA Champions' League) and the English Premier League.
On 1 January 1994, Channel 12 started airing Malay-language series transferred from Channel 5. On 1 October 1994, the Singaporean Broadcasting Corporation was dissolved and Television Twelve took over the television station. On 1 September 1995, Channel 12 was renamed Prime 12 to match with the launch of its sister channel Premiere 12. Tamil-language programmes from channel 8 were transferred to Prime 12.
As a standalone channel
On 30 January 2000, Prime 12 was renamed Suria, becoming a standalone Malay channel as it is today. At the same time, Tamil programmes were transferred to Premiere 12, resulting it to be renamed Central.