Remember TV Mobile? Here’s What Really Happened To It

Last Updated on 2022-05-09 , 11:15 am

Remember this?

Yes, the solution to our boredom on SBS buses before smartphones become a thing.

Those days, you can hear kids arguing over who gets to sit near the screen because watching TV on a moving bus is so darned cool.

Then one day, it disappeared.

Millennial2000: What happened?

No idea.

It just disappeared without people really realising it.

Millennial2000: Oh wow, an era where nobody was glued to their smartphones? That’s retro.

Anyway.

Have you ever wonder what happened to it?

The mobile TV was aimed to bring infotainment for commuters by collaborating with 89.3 MHz.

However, Mediacorp announced in late 2009 that the service will be discontinued with effect from Jan 2010.

It Was Too Expensive

So why was it discontinued? Was there an earlier version of Netflix or YouTube that existed? Nope.

Disruption wasn’t a thing then.

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The reason why TV Mobile was stopped is that it was too expensive.

The resources and costs involved in maintaining the network were high and there were little returns from providing the service.

Commuters did not have to subscribe to the channels or purchase the TV.

And it didn’t help that there weren’t many advertisements on TV mobile at that time.

Bad Rumours Floating Around

As if to rub salt into the wound, the channel was getting a bad rep too.

So not only are they not earning from the channel, they’re getting scolded for maintaining it for Singaporeans.

FatGoodyFeedBoss75: Sounds familiar.

It was rumoured that the screens were installed to hike up transport fares.

Bad Programme Line Ups

Bus commuters were also not able to appreciate the lineup of shows TV mobile screened for them.

It was boring and too repetitive.

Except Just For Laughs, that was the highlight of TV Mobile.

Maybe just a little, our lives still go on without it. Now you can find these similar TVs on the trains in the Downtown line, selected office buildings and even HDB estates.

So if you miss TV Mobile, hey, just take a spin on those lines. Same same but different, yeah?