TV Addict Gave StarHub’s Digital Tier Channels Two Thumbs Up
Singapore, 28 June 2004 - StarHub’s first Digital Cable roadshow, held at The Atrium @ Orchard from 25 June to 27 June 2004, was a resounding success. In the three-day carnival, more than 2,000 digital set-top boxes were snapped up by both existing and new StarHub CableTV subscribers.
The highlight of StarHub’s Digital Cable roadshow was a TV marathon that was held from 11am on 26 June to 7pm on 27 June. A total of 30 contestants were challenged to watch the exciting programmes on StarHub’s digital tier channels non-stop for 32 hours.
While this sounds easy, the stringent rules ensured that only a true-blue couch potato would emerge victorious. One of the rules stated that contestants must keep their eyes glued to the giant TV screen and not close their eyes or shift their gaze away for more than five seconds at any one time! Contestants were given a yellow card each time they break any of the rules, and those who received three yellow cards were automatically disqualified from the competition.
Each contestant was allowed eight breaks of twenty minutes each throughout the StarHub Digital Cable Marathon but contestants were encouraged to minimise the duration of their breaks. This was because the winner would be decided based on the actual time spent watching the programmes, in the event that there was more than one contestant who made it to the end of the 32-hour marathon.
A third of the contestants determinedly kept their eyes on the TV screen when the competition ended slightly after 7pm on 27 June, and the result was a tie between Peter Lim, 22, and Clarence Ong, 29, who both only stayed away from the screen for an incredibly short duration of just three minutes! A tie-breaker was conducted and the two men pit their brain power against each other through four games of Brain Trainer - a complimentary game offered to StarHub’s Digital Cable customers.
Lim emerged the winner and the Mechanical Engineering undergrad at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University told StarHub with a wide grin that while “it was an absolute shock” to him that he was picked as one of the contestants amongst the many who signed up for the competition, he was not surprised that he made it through 32 hours of non-stop TV viewing. “My mother encouraged me to join this competition because she knew that I can do it. This is not the first time I am watching TV programmes for such a long period,” admitted the self-confessed TV addict.
Lim, however, did not win the competition by sheer willpower alone. The king of couch potato was also a strategist. “I made it a point to find out about the judging criteria before the start of the competition, and decided that the way to go was to spend as little time on my breaks as I can.”
When asked if he had enjoyed the TV marathon, Lim held up both hands and gave StarHub’s digital tier channels two thumbs up. “E! Entertainment is absolutely the best channel ever!” he enthused. “I love Discovery Health too, and I feel that it is a channel suitable for all ages.” Lim also listed Discovery Science and Discovery H&L among his favourites.
Peter Lim walked away with a one-year free StarHub CableTV subscription, a 27-inch Thomson LCD TV, and a trip for two to Bali that included a spa package. The runner-up, Clarence Ong, was given a one-year free StarHub CableTV subscription and a 27-inch Thomson LCD TV.
Other activities at StarHub’s Digital Cable roadshow included a display of beautiful vintage cars (Discovery H&L), cricket lessons (ESPN STAR Sports Cricket), and fitness (Discovery Health) and make-up (E! Entertainment) demonstrations.
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