Southeast-Asian Netflix subscribers can soon take a “stream” down memory lane with a colourful cast of Singapore screen icons like Phua Chu Kang and Liang Po Po, thanks to a distribution deal that will see 55 evergreen Mediacorp titles totalling more than 1000 hours being offered to the global streaming giant’s markets in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.
Available in the three territories from 1 August to coincide with Singapore’s birthday month, a multilingual medley of classic Mediacorp content in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil will be displayed in a dedicated “Singapore, Now Streaming” row on the Netflix interface. I
Raphael Phang, Manager, Content Acquisition, Netflix said: “As a Singaporean growing up with a lot of these classic shows and films myself, I am incredibly excited to enrich the Netflix catalogue with these best-in-class Singaporean stories that are made in Singapore, by Singaporeans, for Singaporeans, to celebrate this National Day. By making these titles easily accessible through Netflix, we hope that it will reignite the joy they’ve brought to many Singaporeans over the decades, but more importantly introduce these great works of art by some of the best local filmmakers to the younger generations.”
Jesslyn Wong, Vice President of Content Distribution, Mediacorp said: “We are proud to showcase our local stories to a broader base of regional Netflix subscribers this National Day. This partnership points to the value we continue to place on content collaborations in powering audience engagement, both in and beyond Singapore. We are confident that Netflix users will be captivated by our curation of Singaporean tales told by Singaporean talent, and hope this taste of our uniquely local flavours will encourage new and existing audiences to explore the extensive array of wonderful work we have to offer.”
Netflix audiences can expect to be entertained by the side-splitting shenanigans of the roving reporters from a fictional news team in the English satirical series Best of The Noose (pictured); as well as be emotionally invested in the inner lives of the households depicted in the heartwarming heartland sitcom Best of Under One Roof and the domestic drama Growing Up. Chinese content comes courtesy of landmark local productions like the memorable Mediacorp epics Return of the Condor Heroes, The Legendary Swordsman and The Golden Pillow; the gripping gambling trilogy The Unbeatables; plus the rom-com megahit movie The Wedding Game, which revolves around a reel-life romance between real-life power couple Fann Wong and Christopher Lee. Meanwhile, Malay viewers will be privy to the poignant historical saga Bunga Tanjong and the humourous hijinks of a quirky quartet of Singapore maids in Aduh Bibikku. Finally, Tamil titles include seasons one to three of Vettai, a police procedural series sizzling with murder, mystery and mayhem.
Mediacorp artiste Pierre Png, portrayer of Phua Chu Beng, the brainy bespectacled brother of the titular comedic contractor in Best of Phua Chu Kang, said: “I’m thrilled that Netflix has picked up the series as part of a Singapore-centric slate of shows – it’s a compelling vote of confidence in the storytelling strength of Mediacorp productions. I have a treasure trove of fond memories from my time filming PCK, and I cannot wait to relive those moments whilst watching the episodes over the National Day weekend with my family and fans from the region. To borrow a phrase from my sitcom sibling Chu Kang, we’re the best in Singapore, JB and some say well, Brunei!”
Visit netflix.com/sgnowstreaming