Colour TV Broadcast in Singapore

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time, before the sleek flat screens and personal devices we have today. Colour television (TV) programme transmission first became available in Singapore in May 1974, but colour TVs only made its way into households just before the FIFA World Cup final between West Germany and the Netherlands on 7 July 1974. Singapore was one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to get colour TV broadcasts of the match. 2,000 units of colour TV sets were sold the day before the match and there was a sharp rise in the number of colour TV rentals too.

However, colour broadcasting in Singapore only became more common from 1 August 1974 onwards, starting with the programme ‘Anatomy of a Parade’ on Channel 5 at 7.40 pm. Four years later, colour programmes constituted 85% of all programmes.

These days, the Internet and social media take centre stage in global communications. We no longer have to solely depend on TVs to witness major local and world events in real time. Though the TV now plays a smaller role, our TV screens have become bigger and wider, the resolution ever-better: all to enhance the experience of watching the world from home.

Image credits: Roots.gov.sg

One of the first colour TVs available in Singapore was the Sierra 22 CTV 26 console, encased within a hardwood frame. Imported from Holland, it cost around $2,400, a considerable amount of money given that the average monthly salary was between $300 and $500 in the 1970s. Additionally, the annual licence fee for colour televisions was $54.

Fans catching the World Cup final on TV screens installed outside Fitzpatrick’s supermarket. Image credits: National Library Singapore Facebook.

Hundreds of Singaporeans gathered at public spaces to watch the World Cup finals in 1974, including community centres, hotels and coffee shops.

A screen grab from the 1974 National Day Parade. Image credits: National Archives of Singapore.

The 1974 National Day Parade was the first parade to be televised in colour. This sparked another frenzy to buy colour TV sets. In fact, the demand was described by dealers as “better than the rush for colour sets just before last month’s World Cup soccer final”.

Minister for Culture Jek Yeun Thong on a tour of Radio and Television Singapore’s colour television studios, 1974.
Credits: National Archives of Singapore.

The overhaul of broadcasting infrastructure for colour broadcasts in Singapore led to the replacement of 90 percent of existing equipment to ensure compatibility with colour transmission standards. A whopping $20 million was set aside for this endeavour.

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