Dated: 16 November 2007
New media portal to enhance ASEAN’s culture and information website and offer access to the region’s vibrant media industry
The rich tapestry of ASEAN cultures and media content can now be accessed worldwide via two online portals, which are launched today by the ASEAN Secretary-General, Mr Ong Keng Yong, and witnessed by Singapore’s Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Lee Boon Yang.
Hosting new and archived multimedia clips on news, documentaries, heritage and tourism information of its 10 member countries, the ASEAN Media Portal (www.aseanmedia.net) provides a window to the rich and diverse cultures of the region. By incorporating a media directory of ASEAN broadcasters and producers, and trailers of commercial media content, the Portal also demonstrates ASEAN’s collective media capability and doubles up as a gateway to the region’s vibrant media industry. The content from the ASEAN Media Portal is set to enhance its parent ASEAN Culture and Information Portal (www.aseancultureandinformation.org), which also unveiled a new look today.
"ASEAN is home to 500 million people with a cultural heritage that encompasses some of the world’s oldest civilisations. The ASEAN Culture and Information Portal and the complementary ASEAN Media Portal will profile this rich diversity to the rest of the world, while preserving the region’s audiovisual heritage. They also will help to forge a stronger sense of ASEAN identity and reach out to tech-savvy youths," said Mr Ong.
The idea for revamping the ASEAN Culture and Information Portal and enhancing it with media content was first mooted in May 2007 at the 9th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI). Both portals are managed by the ASEAN Secretariat, with Singapore via the Media Development Authority (MDA) developing and hosting the ASEAN Media Portal. The launch of the portals coincides with the celebration of ASEAN’s 40th anniversary and is in conjunction with the 13th ASEAN Summit, which will be held in Singapore from 18 to 22 November 2007.
Sporting a refreshed user-friendly layout, the ASEAN Culture and Information Portal highlights the initiatives and activities undertaken by the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI), housing information on ASEAN traditional festivals, youth programmes, heritage photographs, publications on ASEAN literature and the region’s cuisines, as well as news exchange among the national broadcasters in ASEAN.
Adding greater variety to the region’s cultural information available online is the extensive repository of media content hosted on the ASEAN Media Portal, which includes audiovisual materials celebrating the evolution of ASEAN and those promoting tourism, heritage and arts in the region. Lending an industry focus to the ASEAN Media Portal is a catalogue of commercial media content across the genres of television, films, animation and games, as well as a listing of ASEAN broadcasters and producers.
Coordinated by the ASEAN Secretariat, the content on the ASEAN Media Portal is contributed and will be regularly updated by all ASEAN member states. In Singapore, inputs for the Portal are coordinated by MDA, with support from other local government agencies.
Said Dr Lee: “The wide array of media content on the ASEAN Media Portal, which ranges from television and films to games and animation, showcases the region’s vibrant media scene and its growing capability, especially in the sphere of interactive digital media. Singapore is proud to host the ASEAN Media Portal, which we hope will promote closer co-operation among ASEAN member countries in the fields of media, culture and information.”
Getting the ASEAN Media Portal off the ground is a specially commissioned interactive game, ASEAN's Next Top Chef, which will expand participants’ general knowledge of ASEAN. Visitors to the Portal can also preview the trailers of two brand new ASEAN-themed television programmes, namely ASEAN Snapshots and The Travelling Palette - ASEAN Special.
Produced by Singapore’s MediaCorp with partners from ASEAN countries, ASEAN Snapshots is a 10-part documentary series commissioned by the ASEAN COCI. It is slated for broadcast on MediaCorp’s Channel NewsAsia on 17 November 2007 (8.30pm).
The Travelling Palette - ASEAN Special is a 10-part arts-travelogue series which follows a different artist-apprentice pair each week as they journey to various locations in an ASEAN country, seeking out an iconic site to inspire their paintings. In support of AMRI’s goal of advancing a caring and sharing community through media, the paintings featured in The Travelling Palette - ASEAN Special will be auctioned off in benefit of the ASEAN Foundation. The auction will begin on 16 November and silent bids can be submitted via the ASEAN Media Portal from 23 November 2007 to 18 January 2008.
The Travelling Palette - ASEAN Special, which is a Singapore public service broadcast programme supported by MDA and produced by Singapore company, Editude, made its debut on the Singapore terrestrial channel, MediaCorp TV12 Arts Central on 12 November 2007 (9.30pm).
Visit the ASEAN Culture and Information Portal at www.aseancultureandinformation.org and the ASEAN Media Portal at www.aseanmedia.net.
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About Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)
Formed in 2003, the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) plays a vital role in transforming Singapore into a Global Media City and positioning it at the forefront of the digital media age. MDA spearheads initiatives that promote developments in film, video, television, radio, publishing, music, games, animation, media services and Interactive Digital Media. At the same time, in ensuring clear and consistent regulatory policies and guidelines, MDA helps to foster a pro-business environment for industry players and increase media choices for consumers. For more information, visit
www.mda.gov.sg
About the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aims to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours to promote a prosperous and peaceful community of South-East Asian nations. ASEAN was established in 1967 and now comprises 10 countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. ASEAN has ten Dialogue Partners: Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, New Zealand, ROK, Russia and the United States. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) also has dialogue status. For more information, visit
www.aseansec.org
About ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI)
The First Meeting of the Committee on Culture and Information was held in Manila in October 1978. The Committee aims to promote effective cooperation in the fields of culture and information for the purpose of enhancing mutual understanding and solidarity among the peoples of ASEAN as well as in furthering regional development.
About ASEAN Foundation
Established in 1997, the ASEAN Foundation objectives are twofold. First is to promote greater awareness of ASEAN, and greater interaction among the peoples of ASEAN as well as their wider participation in ASEAN's activities, inter alia, through human resources development that will enable them to realize their full potential and capacity to contribute to progress as productive and responsible members of society. Second is to contribute to the evolution of a development cooperation strategy that promotes mutual assistance, equitable economic development and the alleviation of poverty. For more information, visit
www.aseanfoundation.org
For media enquiries, please contact:
Chia Pei Siang (Ms)
Manager, Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel. : +65 6837 9010
Fax : +65 6336 4142
Email :
chia_pei_siang@imda.gov.sg
Phoebe Seow
Assistant Director, Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel. : +65 6837 9369
Fax : +65 6336 4142
Email :
phoebe_seow@imda.gov.sg
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