The Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) was formally established on 1 February 1980 following the passing of the Singapore Broadcasting Act in 1979. Unlike its predecessor, Radio and Television Singapura (RTS), which was a full government entity under the Ministry of Culture, SBC functioned as a statutory board. This corporatisation move enabled SBC to operate with greater efficiency and financial autonomy. SBC set up its Chinese Drama Division in 1983 and ventured into drama production. From the 1980s to the mid-1990s, SBC’s locally-produced Chinese drama serials gained immense popularity among Singaporeans and were even sold and distributed overseas. SBC was dissolved in 1994 and its television broadcasting function was taken over by the Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS), which was managed by a fully privatised entity, the Singapore International Media (SIM). SIM underwent restructuring in 1999 and became known as the Media Corporation of Singapore (MediaCorp). TCS was renamed MediaCorp TV in 2001.
