meWatch
Logo used since February 2023
Type of site
OTT
Available inEnglish, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil
OwnerMediacorp
URLmewatch.sg
CommercialYes
RegistrationFree
Launched1 February 2013; 11 years ago (2013-02-01) (as Toggle)[1]
30 January 2020; 4 years ago (2020-01-30) (as meWatch)
Current statusActive

meWatch (stylized as mewatch, formerly known as Toggle and stylized as meWATCH until 2023) is a Singaporean digital video on demand service wholly owned by Mediacorp. It was launched on 1 February 2013 as an over-the-top media service and an entertainment and lifestyle website Toggle.

On 1 April 2015, xinmsn, an internet portal which is a joint venture between MediaCorp and Microsoft, was closed down and merged with Toggle.[2][3][4] On 30 January 2020, Toggle was renamed as meWatch.[5][6]

Content

Toggle first logo (2013-2015)
Toggle second and last logo (2015-2020)
meWatch first logo (2020-2023)

meWatch (formerly Toggle) offers to worldwide audiences video streaming or on-demand content of programs from Mediacorp's archived library as well as original webseries. In addition, meWatch also offers live streaming of Mediacorp's free-to-air channels, which is only available in Singapore. It also offers catch-up TV for viewers to watch shows they have missed on prime time TV shows from the previous few days.

In 2016, Toggle began to offer made-for-digital productions under the brand Toggle Originals.[7][8] Certain original series, such as I Want to Be a Star may be telecasted on Mediacorp's television channels, typically in the late night programming slots.[9]

In 2019, Toggle began offering additional content from HBO Go.[10] In the same year, Mediacorp and Wattpad inked partnership for developing scripted series and films for Toggle and Mediacorp FTA channels, based on books made by Wattpad writers that are based in Singapore.[11] In 30 May 2019, Toggle began offering on-demand Korean movies from tvN Movies.[12]

On 30 January 2020, Toggle was renamed meWatch.[5][6] At the same time, Mediacorp made a content deal with HOOQ to stream the latter's original content.[13] However, on 27 March 2020, HOOQ filed for liquidation, shut down on 30 April 2020,[14] and eventually was acquired by Coupang in July 2020 in order to being used as the basis of its streaming service named Coupang Play.

As of most recent, they had carried anime from both Medialink, Mighty Media and Muse Communication, dozens of Mandarin series from Chinese production house, along with premium channels such as Animax + Gem, Simply South and newly launch Rock Entertainment (via Rock 24/7).

References

  1. ^ "MediaCorp launches Toggle, its personal entertainment service on multiple devices". Mediacorp. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ Shah, Kyle Malinda (1 April 2015). "Goodbye Xinmsn, Hello Toggle: Microsoft & MediaCorp Disband Entertainment Site". Yahoo. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  3. ^ "TOGGLE". Mediacorp. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  4. ^ Lawler, Ryan (28 January 2013). "MediaCorp Taps Tvinci To Launch Toggle, Its Virtual Cable Service In Singapore". TechCrunch. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  5. ^ a b Farveen, Farzanah (2019-11-04). "Mediacorp revamps Toggle, MeRadio and MeClub". Marketing Interactive. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  6. ^ a b "Mediacorp rolls out meWATCH, meLISTEN, meREWARDS and meCONNECT". Mediacorp. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Toggle Originals as a differentiating factor". Asian Television Awards. 2016-02-12. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  8. ^ "Toggle to launch 11 new shows". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  9. ^ "Movies123 Guide". Archived from the original on 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2020-07-13. Monday, July 13, 2020
  10. ^ Tseng, Douglas (13 February 2019). "Viewers Can Now Watch 'Game Of Thrones' On Toggle With HBO Go". 8 Days. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Wattpad and Mediacorp partner to bring Singapore stories from written word to national screens". Wattpad HQ. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  12. ^ Tseng, Douglas (30 May 2019). "Toggle Viewers Can Now Stream Korean Blockbusters With tvN Movies". Today. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  13. ^ Netto, Stephen (30 January 2020). "Mediacorp clinches content and subscription deals with HOOQ to champion cross-company content to audiences across Asia". The Online Citizen. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  14. ^ "Singtel-backed streaming service HOOQ files for liquidation". Reuters. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2020-05-28.

External links

Mediacorp
Video on demand services
Categories