Statute Details
- Title: Broadcasting (Exemption) Order
- Act Code: BA1994-OR1
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Broadcasting Act (Chapter 28), Section 60
- G.N. / Citation: G.N. No. S 307/1996
- Revised Edition: 2004 RevEd (29 February 2004)
- Current Version: Current version as at 26 March 2026
- Key Provision (Substantive): Paragraph 1 (exemptions from sections 8 and 9 of the Broadcasting Act)
- Key Provision (Amendment Note): Paragraph 2 (deleted by S 600/2014 with effect from 15 September 2014)
- Most Relevant Amendment: S 600/2014 (effective 15/09/2014) deleting paragraph 2 and amending paragraph 1(f)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Broadcasting (Exemption) Order is a Singapore subsidiary instrument made under the Broadcasting Act. Its central function is to exempt certain categories of service providers from complying with specified Broadcasting Act requirements—specifically, requirements found in sections 8 and 9 of the Broadcasting Act.
In plain language, the Order recognises that not every “broadcasting-related” service needs to be treated the same way for licensing or regulatory purposes. Some services are either (i) inherently limited in scope, (ii) primarily informational rather than entertainment broadcasting, (iii) transmitted in a manner that reduces public impact, or (iv) already regulated through other government licensing regimes. The exemption therefore reduces regulatory burden while preserving the Broadcasting Act’s oversight where it matters most.
The Order is also a good example of how Singapore’s broadcasting framework uses a risk- and function-based approach: rather than regulating all communications uniformly, it distinguishes between service types and their transmission characteristics, including whether they are commentary-free, geographically confined, or already subject to other regulatory controls.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Paragraph 1: Ministerial exemption from sections 8 and 9
Paragraph 1 provides that the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts has exempted, “in relation to the provision of the following services”, any person who provides any of the following services from sections 8 and 9 of the Broadcasting Act.
This is the operative clause. It is not a general exemption for all broadcasting activity; it is tied to specific service categories. A practitioner should therefore treat the Order as a menu of exemptions: if a service provider’s service fits squarely within one of the listed categories, the exemption may apply.
(a) News wire services for news-gathering
Exemption applies to news wire services where the information is transmitted primarily for the purposes of news-gathering by broadcasting or newspaper companies. The key elements are: (i) the service is a “news wire service”, and (ii) the transmission is primarily for news-gathering, not for general broadcast consumption.
(b) Financial information services transmitted without commentary or alteration
Exemption applies to financial information services where financial information is transmitted without commentary and without alteration or addition to its form. This suggests a policy focus on preventing the exemption from being used to deliver curated or editorialised financial content. Practically, providers should ensure that their systems do not add commentary, analysis, or modify the underlying data format.
(c) Weather or traffic news services
Exemption applies to weather or traffic news services. This is relatively straightforward: the service must be weather- or traffic-related news. The provision does not expressly require “no commentary” or “no alteration” (unlike financial information), so the scope may be broader for these categories—though providers should still consider whether their service could be characterised as something else (e.g., entertainment broadcasting) depending on content and presentation.
(d) Close circuit television (CCTV) surveillance services limited to security and confined premises
Exemption applies to close circuit television surveillance services that meet two cumulative conditions:
- Transmission confinement: transmitted for reception within the confines of a single building, dwelling-house, hospital, educational institution, residential, commercial or industrial complex, or any single temporary or permanent structure; and
- Purpose limitation: provided solely for the purpose of security surveillance.
This is a significant limitation. “Close circuit television” is often used for both security and other purposes (e.g., entertainment, broadcasting to the public, or monitoring for non-security operational reasons). The “solely for security surveillance” language is likely to be interpreted strictly. Providers should document the operational purpose and ensure that the service is not used to deliver content beyond security monitoring within the defined premises.
(e) Airline in-flight entertainment and information services
Exemption applies to airline in-flight entertainment and information services provided on aircraft. The exemption recognises the unique environment of in-flight services, where the service is delivered within the aircraft context rather than as a terrestrial public broadcast.
(f) Computer on-line services—excluding those subject to a class licence or a notice
Exemption applies to computer on-line services other than computer on-line services that are:
- subject to a class licence under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification; or
- subject to a notice under paragraph 3A(1) of that Notification.
This carve-out is important. It means that the exemption does not apply to online services that fall within the class-licensing or notice regime. The 2014 amendment (S 600/2014 effective 15/09/2014) confirms the legislative intent to keep certain online services within a more structured regulatory framework.
(g) Other licensable broadcasting services regulated or licensed by the Government or a statutory authority
Exemption applies to “other licensable broadcasting services” that are regulated or licensed by the Government or a statutory authority under any written law. This provision is a “regulatory duplication” safeguard: where another legal regime already governs the service, the Broadcasting Act licensing requirements may be unnecessary.
Paragraph 2: Deleted
Paragraph 2 has been deleted by S 600/2014 with effect from 15 September 2014. While the extract does not reproduce the deleted text, practitioners should be aware that the current operative scope is essentially contained in paragraph 1. Any reliance on older versions should be avoided unless the service relates to a historical period.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Broadcasting (Exemption) Order is structured as a short instrument with:
- Paragraph 1 setting out the categories of services and the corresponding exemption from sections 8 and 9 of the Broadcasting Act.
- Paragraph 2 which is currently deleted.
Although the Order is brief, its legal effect is meaningful because it operates as a direct statutory carve-out. In practice, the Order should be read together with the Broadcasting Act provisions it references (sections 8 and 9) and with the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification (for the online carve-out in paragraph 1(f)).
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The exemption applies to “any person who provides” the specified services. This is broad in terms of potential beneficiaries: it is not limited to broadcasters in the narrow sense. It can include service operators, content/data providers, and technology or platform providers, provided they are “providing” one of the listed service types.
However, applicability is category-specific. A provider must assess whether its service fits within one of the enumerated descriptions. If the service is partly within a listed category but also includes additional features that could move it outside the description (for example, adding commentary to financial data, or using CCTV for non-security purposes), the exemption may not apply in full.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
This Order is important because it affects regulatory compliance strategy for communications and information services. For many businesses, the difference between being exempted and being subject to sections 8 and 9 of the Broadcasting Act can determine whether they must obtain a broadcasting licence, meet licensing conditions, or comply with related regulatory obligations.
From an enforcement and compliance perspective, the Order also clarifies that the Minister can tailor exemptions to the nature of the service and its transmission and purpose. Practitioners should therefore treat the exemption as a legal classification exercise: the analysis should focus on the service’s factual characteristics (e.g., whether financial information is transmitted without commentary and without alteration; whether CCTV is confined to a single premises and used solely for security surveillance).
Finally, the online carve-out in paragraph 1(f) demonstrates that exemptions are not absolute for computer on-line services. Where a service is subject to a class licence or a notice under the Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification, the exemption will not apply. This creates a practical need for providers to map their offerings across multiple instruments and to confirm which regulatory track applies.
Related Legislation
- Broadcasting Act (Chapter 28), especially sections 8 and 9 (the provisions from which exemptions are granted)
- Broadcasting (Class Licence) Notification (including paragraph 3A(1))
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Broadcasting (Exemption) Order for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.