Statute Details
- Title: Broadcasting (Class Licence — Broadcasting to Digital Display Panels) Notification 2020
- Act/Instrument Code: BA1994-S477-2020
- Instrument Type: Subsidiary Legislation (SL)
- Enacting Authority: Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA)
- Authorising Provision: Powers conferred by section 9 of the Broadcasting Act (Cap. 28)
- Citation and Commencement: Comes into operation on 22 June 2020
- Key Provisions: Sections 2–5 (definitions; class licence; conditions; public service message condition)
- Status: Current version as at 26 March 2026
What Is This Legislation About?
The Broadcasting (Class Licence — Broadcasting to Digital Display Panels) Notification 2020 (“the Notification”) creates a class licensing regime for certain forms of broadcasting that are delivered to digital display panels located in public environments. In practical terms, it addresses businesses that provide audiovisual content for display on screens in places such as public venues and within public passenger transport vehicles.
Instead of requiring each provider to obtain an individual broadcasting licence, the Notification brings qualifying services within a class licence. This means that once a provider falls within the defined scope, it is automatically subject to the licensing framework and must comply with the conditions set out in the Notification and the Broadcasting Act.
The Notification also includes a specific public service message (PSM) obligation for a subset of class licensees—namely those broadcasting content to digital display panels in HDB lift landing areas and lifts used for human habitation. This ensures that government-provided programmes can be displayed in those settings, subject to defined terms.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1. Citation, commencement, and definitions (Sections 1–2)
Section 1 provides the short title and commencement date: the Notification operates from 22 June 2020. Section 2 sets out important definitions that control the scope of the class licence.
Key defined terms include:
- “class licensee”: a person to whom the class licence applies, but excluding any period where the class licence is suspended or disapplied under the Broadcasting Act.
- “digital display panel”: a screen/panel/monitor-like appliance with minimum diagonal/widest dimension of 17.78 cm (excluding cables/connectors), designed primarily to receive and display programmes capable of being received (moving or still images, with or without sound). It includes devices with additional functions (e.g., interactive features) but excludes mobile phones and wearable devices.
- “programme”: broad definition covering any matter (including advertising/sponsorship), even if exempt from classification under the Films Act, but excluding certain recordings of content broadcast on free-to-air or subscription nationwide television services (where the matter is not the recording itself).
- “public place”: includes places accessible to the public as of right or by permission without fee, and also places where access is on payment of a fee, but only where the main purpose is not entertainment/exhibition and viewing on a digital display panel is wholly incidental. It also excludes certain venues (e.g., cinema halls, places of worship).
- “public passenger transport vehicle”: includes MRT trains and other rapid transit vehicles, and motor vehicles authorised as public service vehicles.
2. The class licence trigger (Section 3)
Section 3 is the core provision. It determines when a person is “subject to a class licence” in connection with a broadcasting service.
Section 3(1) provides that, unless exempt or excluded, every person who provides, in the course of business, a licensable broadcasting service in or from Singapore that involves transmission by signs or signals of any programme (with or without sound) for reception and display on two or more digital display panels is subject to a class licence if the panels are either:
- (a) situated in a public place in Singapore; or
- (b) installed within a public passenger transport vehicle.
Section 3(2) sets out an important exclusion: the class licence does not apply to a person who provides, in the course of business, a licensable broadcasting service solely for reception and display on a digital display panel that is under the control or management of another person who holds certain film/video game/public entertainment permissions or exemptions.
In other words, if the content display is effectively part of a controlled exhibition or entertainment offering already authorised under the Films Act or Public Entertainments Act (or relevant exemptions), the class licence regime in this Notification is not engaged for that provider.
3. Conditions of the class licence (Section 4)
Section 4 imposes a compliance duty tied to content. A class licensee must not broadcast (or must discontinue broadcasting) any whole or part of a programme if the Authority informs the licensee that the programme (or part) is:
- (a) contrary to a Code of Practice applicable to the licensee;
- (b) against public interest, public order or national harmony; or
- (c) offends against good taste or decency.
Practically, this provision functions as a content control mechanism that operates through notice by the Authority. It is not merely a general prohibition; it is triggered by the Authority’s determination communicated to the licensee. For operators, this means robust content governance, escalation procedures, and the ability to quickly discontinue offending content are essential.
4. Public service message condition for HDB lift landing and lifts (Section 5)
Section 5 is a targeted PSM obligation. For the purpose of section 17 of the Broadcasting Act, a class licensee that provides a licensable broadcasting service described in Section 3(1) by transmitting programmes for display on digital display panels situated on the wall of any lift landing or in any lift that is:
- (a) common property vested in or belonging to the Housing and Development Board (HDB); and
- (b) relates to buildings/premises used under the Planning Act wholly for human habitation,
must include in its licensable broadcasting service programmes provided by the Government through the Authority, on specified terms.
The terms are set out in Section 5(2):
- No subsidy or compensation is payable to the class licensee for programmes provided by the Government through the Authority.
- The display of those programmes must make up 50% of the length of each content loop.
Section 5(3) clarifies that, when determining whether Section 5(1) applies, the number of networks used by the class licensee is immaterial. Section 5(4) confirms that the PSM condition applies in addition to Section 4 (content conditions), insofar as Section 4 concerns a class licensee described in Section 5(1).
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Notification is structured as a short instrument with a conventional layout:
- Section 1 sets out the citation and commencement.
- Section 2 provides definitions that define the scope of key concepts (class licensee, digital display panel, programme, public place, and public passenger transport vehicle).
- Section 3 establishes when a person is subject to the class licence and includes a defined exclusion for certain film/video game/public entertainment contexts.
- Section 4 sets out content-related conditions tied to the Authority’s notice.
- Section 5 introduces a specific public service message requirement for HDB lift landing/lift digital panels, including the 50% content loop rule and no-compensation term.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Notification applies to persons providing broadcasting services in the course of business that qualify as licensable broadcasting services and that transmit programmes for display on two or more digital display panels located either in public places or within public passenger transport vehicles.
It is not limited to traditional broadcasters; it can capture operators, network managers, content distributors, and other service providers who arrange transmission and display of programmes on qualifying screens. However, it does not apply where the display is under the control/management of a person holding relevant film/video game/public entertainment permissions or exemptions (Section 3(2)).
Separately, Section 5 applies only to class licensees whose digital display panels are located in HDB lift landing walls or lifts in buildings/premises used wholly for human habitation. For those operators, the PSM content and 50% loop requirement become mandatory.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This Notification is important because it provides a regulatory pathway for a growing category of digital signage and in-transit media. By using a class licence model, it reduces administrative friction compared with individual licensing, while still ensuring that content standards and public interest obligations are met.
From a compliance perspective, the most consequential provisions are:
- Scope determination under Section 3 (especially the “two or more” panel threshold and the definitions of “public place” and “digital display panel”).
- Content discontinuation duties under Section 4 once the Authority issues notice regarding codes of practice, public interest/order/national harmony, or good taste/decency.
- PSM obligations under Section 5 for HDB lift landing/lift panels, including the 50% of each content loop requirement and the absence of compensation.
For practitioners advising media operators, transport advertising networks, and digital signage providers, the Notification raises practical issues such as: mapping panel locations to the “public place” definition; assessing whether the service is “solely” for display under another party’s film/public entertainment permissions; and designing content scheduling systems capable of incorporating government programmes and rapidly discontinuing content when required.
Finally, the Notification’s reliance on the Broadcasting Act and related classification/content frameworks means that it should be read alongside broader statutory instruments governing broadcasting and public entertainment. The class licence is not a standalone regime; it is integrated into the wider regulatory architecture.
Related Legislation
- Broadcasting Act (Cap. 28)
- Films Act (Cap. 107) — referenced for film classification/exhibitions and exemptions
- Films (Class Licence for Video Games Distribution) Order 2019 (G.N. No. S 342/2019)
- Films (Classification — Exempt Video Games) Notification 2019 (G.N. No. S 339/2019)
- Public Entertainments Act (Cap. 257)
- Planning Act (Cap. 232)
- Rapid Transit Systems Act (Cap. 263A)
- Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276) — for public service vehicle authorisation
- Housing and Development Act (Cap. 129) — for HDB
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Broadcasting (Class Licence — Broadcasting to Digital Display Panels) Notification 2020 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.