ST : MediaCorp to move to Mediapolis@one-north

Dec 09,2010

MediaCorp to move to Mediapolis@one-north

By Yasmine Yahya
BROADCASTER MediaCorp is leaving its Caldecott Hill base for the new Mediapolis@one-north complex in Buona Vista.

MediaCorp said yesterday that the move will be carried out in phases, starting from the end of 2014, with the transition to its 1.5ha site complete by 2015.

The decision has been welcomed by the Government, which expects other media firms to follow the firm's lead and bring life to Mediapolis.

Mediapolis is a planned 19ha digital media hub that is slated to be completed by 2020. It will include state-of-the-art facilities as well as serviced apartments and hotels.

Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew said MediaCorp's move will likely entice other local and foreign media businesses to also set up shop in Mediapolis.

It would allow them to participate more easily in collaborative projects, added Mr Lui, who gave the opening address at the Asia Television Forum yesterday.

'With its relocation, Media- Corp could also extend its new-built facilities and services, such as studios and equipment, to other production houses for greater synergies and possible cost benefits,' he added.

MediaCorp chief executive Lucas Chow was similarly upbeat, saying that the firm can play the role of 'queen bee' at Mediapolis by generating a consistent pipeline of projects for the production houses and other media service providers operating there.

'The entire value chain can be built organically, which will in turn sustain the Mediapolis ecosystem comprising media and media-related companies,' he said.

This is not the first time that MediaCorp has announced a relocation.

In 2006, the firm said it was planning to move to Bukit Batok, but that plan was shelved due to high construction costs and the onset of the economic crisis.

In an internal note to Media- Corp staff, Mr Chow said that the move would be in line with the firm's vision to be a top Asian media company.

'As you know, the ageing infrastructure and ad hoc constructions over the last decades have rendered our current operations at Caldecott Broadcast Centre sub-optimal,' he said.

'Relocation would provide the opportunity for MediaCorp to fully exploit the latest technologies.'

The firm has been at Caldecott Hill since 1966. Pending approval from the relevant authorities, the land that the firm now occupies will be sold to finance the construction of its new premises at Mediapolis, said a spokesman.

According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority's 2008 Master Plan, the plot is zoned for a 'civic/community institution'.

Mr Ong Kah Seng, senior manager of Asia-Pacific research at Cushman & Wakefield, said: 'Currently, the site is surrounded mainly by residential properties, including choice landed homes.

'There could be possibilities for the plum site to be rezoned for residential or mixed use, should the land be returned to the Government upon MediaCorp's vacating.'

The masterplan is reviewed every five years.

If the land is rezoned for residential, commercial or mixed use, developers should be quite keen, Mr Ong added, as the plot is quite near central Singapore.

The accessibility of the area will be enhanced with the completion of Caldecott MRT station on the Circle Line.