| Media Development Authority | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 2003 |
| Preceding agencies | Singapore Broadcasting Authority Films and Publications Department Singapore Film Commission |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Singapore |
| Agency executives | Niam Chiang Meng, Chairman Aubeck Kam, Chief Executive Officer |
| Parent agency | Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts |
| Website | |
| http://www.mda.gov.sg | |
The Media Development Authority (Abbreviation: MDA; Chinese: 媒体发展管理局) is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA).
Contents |
MDA was formed on 1 January 2003 by the merger of Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), the Films and Publications Department (FPD) and the Singapore Film Commission (SFC), in response to a national call to develop a globally competitive media industry in Singapore. An industry blueprint called Media 21 was also drawn up and eventually endorsed by the 2002 Economic Review Committee (chaired by then Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong) – as part of the Creative Industries Development Strategy to propel the growth of Singapore’s creative economy.
Prior to the merger, SBA, which was formed on October 1994 under the purview of the previous Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA), was set up to regulate the broadcasting industry in Singapore.
FPD was set up as a department under the then MITA to regulate the content of films and publications on 1st Jan 1998. The Board of Film Censors was a part of the FPD, responsible for classification of films and videos.
Following the footsteps of film promotion in other countries, SFC was established on 1998. Following the release of the recommendations under Media 21, SFC was merged under the MDA in 2003.