Up to 400,000 Housing Board homes still depending on analogue signals to watch free-to-air television will get help to make the switch to digital broadcasting.

This will cost the Government $40 million as Singapore prepares to turn off analogue broadcasting by Dec 31. After this date, those who have not installed new digital TV equipment or subscribed to pay TV services will no longer get Mediacorp's free-to-air channels.

The bulk of some 1.2 million Singapore households have already made the switch, including 70,000 needy homes under a help scheme introduced in 2014.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority has now expanded the help scheme to include all HDB homes that have yet to make the switch. It believes that access to Mediacorp's free-to-air channels is important as they carry programmes that promote societal values.

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