STRATEGIES FOR CONSTRUCTING A FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

For the past decade, the Singapore government has been trying to develop Singapore into a media hub. The media industries had been identified as the next emerging services sector to propel Singapore's economic development into the new millennium. The efforts of the government, however, has had mixed results. The film and television industry has yet to take off despite the many policies and the hard-sell tactics the government has adopted to lure foreign inventors to the region. The stand of this thesis is that the film and television industry in Singapore is inhibited by several factors that are beyond the government's ability to control or influence. The strategies in place so far have not had considerable success, hence a shift in the approach to developing the film and television industry is needed at this point of time. Instead of focusing on trying to become a hub for foreign (western) media companies, Singapore should concentrate on developing in the Asia-Pacific region and capitalize on its comparative advantage here. There is much that Singapore can offer as a regional base in this part of the world.