Mediacorp U

Mediacorp U (Chinese: U频道) is a Mandarin-language free-to-air terrestrial television channel in Singapore, owned by state media conglomerate Mediacorp. The channel was first established in 2001 by SPH MediaWorks—a subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings—as one of two new FTA channels launched by the company (alongside the English-language TVWorks, later renamed Channel i). While it eventually became competitive with MediaCorp's Channel 8 in viewership, Channel i was struggling to compete with MediaCorp's Channel 5, and the company operated at a loss. In 2004, SPH announced an agreement to divest its television stations and free newspaper business to MediaCorp in exchange for a stake in its television and publishing businesses. As a result, MediaCorp took over Channel U on 1 January 2005, positioning it as a counterpart to Channel 8 targeting a youth and young adult audience. Channel U broadcasts from 3:00 p.m SGT on weekdays and 10:00 a.m SGT on weekends, until 2:30 a.m SGT daily. During its SPH MediaWorks era, it broadcast from 10:00 a.m SGT on Mondays to Saturdays and 9.30 a.m SGT on Sundays, until 2:15 a.m SGT daily.