Television Corporation of Singapore 5 (TCS 5) is sharpening its focus on teens with the launch of 16 hours of teen and young adult programming next month. The increase is part of a restructuring of Singapore’s three terrestrial broadcasters (STV 12, TCS 5 and TCS 8), all owned by Media Corporation of Singapore. The restructured channels kick off January 30, 2000.

Slots for the new programming on the English-language channel are being freed by dropping its 27 hours per week of kids TV. STV 12 will now air all English-language programming for ages zero to 12 among the three terrestrials, and TCS 5 will complement STV 12’s Kids Central by aiming at ages 13 to 25.

Growing in size, ‘the teen market [in Singapore] is an emerging force,’ says Lillian Yong Song Kee, TCS 5’s manager of network programming and acquisitions. Advertisers are also tuning in to this demo’s large spending power.

TCS 5 has not specifically targeted teens in the past, says Yong Song Kee, but already has the highest reach with teens in Singapore, who are drawn to such young-adult fare as Ally McBeal and Friends.

The channel will air a mix of dramas, sitcoms, movies, music, game shows, fashion and entertainment magazines and informational and educational programs from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Programming will be split between 80% acquisitions and 20% shows commissioned from producers in Singapore. Of acquisitions, 90% will be from the U.S., and the remainder from other territories, including other Asian countries. The channel’s license fee is between US$200 to US$500 per hour for teen programming.

TCS 5 is open to all genres that appeal to teens, and in terms of animation, is particularly interested in 3-D CGI. It’s also looking for programs that promote good moral values, such as encouraging viewers to respect their elders and discouraging such behaviors as drinking, substance abuse and premarital sex.

At press time, TCS 5 was finalizing its teen and young adult programming schedule and branding, and was keeping details about shows already acquired or commissioned under wraps.