Singapore, 5 August 2008 -- Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) - title sponsor of the world’s first ever night race - today announced that the top 20 contestants in the Singtel Grid Girl competition will be unveiled in a four-part reality television series to be telecast on Channel 5 at the end of this month.

 

Hosted by radio personality Glenn Ong, the programme, called  Singtel Grid Girls will see the ladies go through a series of challenges that incorporate fun and entertaining elements that test their wit and intelligence.

 

The active, sporty girls are aged between 18 and 25 years of age, and hail from a range of diverse backgrounds.   The winner of the Singtel Grid Girls will take home a cash prize of $20,000 and the top three winners will lead the Grid Girls to the starting line on the day of the race.  The winner of the final challenge not only walks away with the cash prize but will be the face of the Singtel Race this 26 to 28 September.

 

Mr Allen Lew, Singtel’s CEO Singapore, said: “We aim to bring the best Formula One ^TMexperience to everyone in Singapore by making the races more accessible through various initiatives like the Singtel Ultimate Race, customised mobile content and the televised  Singtel Grid Girls contest.   We are certain that the hype in Singapore will be built up to the maximum when the races kick off in September.”

 

Mr Kenneth Liang, Executive Vice President, Programming and Production 5, MediaCorp TV, said: “Channel 5 is delighted to be the exclusive free-to-air broadcaster in Singapore of the 2008 FORMULA 1™ Singtel Singapore Grand Prix. For this very special occasion, we are happy to be the producers of  Singtel Grid Girls, which will add that special touch and give a flutter toSingapore’s historic night race.”

 

The finalists were selected from over 300 hopefuls in an intensive closed door audition, chosen not only based on their looks, but also deportment, personality and Formula One ^TM knowledge. From the 44 ladies, the top 20 have been selected to take part in a four-part 30-minute reality show which will be telecast on MediaCorp Channel 5 at the end of the month.

 

Racing fans would agree that Formula One  ^TM would not be the same without these ladies, whose role is to hold up the national flag of the driver and the number of his car before each race, as they add a splash of colour and glamour to the racetrack.

 

All 44 Singtel Grid Girls will be on the track on race day, guiding the drivers to their cars and adding glamour to the event.

 

Viewers can catch the girls going through the challenges alongside popular MediaCorp celebrities like Michelle Chia, Felicia Chin and Elvin Ng on Channel 5 from 28 August to 18 September. The girls have also been blogging on  www.singtelrace.com to enable the public to get an insight into their thoughts and personalities.

 

For more details and updates, log onto  www.singtelrace.com

 

 

About Singtel

 

Singtel is Asia's leading communications group with operations and investments around the world.   Serving both the corporate and consumer markets, it is committed to bringing the best of global communications to customers in the Asia Pacific and beyond.

 

With significant operations in Singapore and Australia (through wholly-owned subsidiary Singtel Optus), the Group provides a comprehensive portfolio of services that include voice and data services over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms.

 

To serve the needs of multi-national corporations, Singtel has a network of 37 offices in 19 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific,  Europe and the United States. These offices enable Singtel to deliver reliable and quality network solutions to its customers, either on its own or jointly with local partners.

 

The Group also has major investments in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippinesand Thailand. Together with its regional partners, Singtel is Asia’s largest multi-market mobile operator, serving more than 185 million customers in eight markets.

 

Singtel employs more than 20,000 people worldwide and had a turnover of S$14.84 billion (US$10.05 billion) and net profit after tax of S$3.96 billion (US$2.68 billion) for the year ended 31 March 2008.   More information can be found @ www.singtel.com and www.optus.com.au.

 

About MediaCorp TV Channel 5

 

Channel 5, one of the four channels under MediaCorp TV, is Singapore’s No. 1 English TV station. It is a 24-hour general entertainment and sports channel with a mix of local and international mass-appeal programmes.

 

Channel 5 has a heritage of creating highly-rated and award-winning local productions featuring Asian faces and themes, such as  Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd,  Living with Lydia,  True Files,  Missing, Incredible Tales and  Parental Guidance.

 

The channel is also among the first in Asia to produce formatted versions of top-rated international game shows, like  Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?,  The Weakest Link and Singapore’s Brainiest. In 2004, it launched the highly successful  Singapore Idol to record-high ratings and in 2007, it will launch Deal or No Deal.

 

Channel 5 has been quick off the mark in featuring hugely popular reality shows like  The Apprentice,  Survivor,  Amazing Race and  American Idol.  Many of its international shows –  Lost, Desperate Housewives, Las Vegas, CSI, Gilmore Girls, and Nip/Tuck are Emmy and Golden Globe Award winners.

 

In addition, Channel 5 is the station for prestigious sports events.  Examples are the SEA Games, Summer Olympics, UEFA Euro 2004, US Augusta Masters, and the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2008 Formula 1 races.

 

Channel 5 aspires to be a respected and recognised brand in Singapore as well as in the region. It has received numerous accolades, including Asian Television Awards, New York Festival Awards and Promax International Gold Awards.

 

Channel 5 is part of MediaCorp, Singapore’s leading media company with the most complete range of platforms, spanning television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies and digital media.  MediaCorp has over 55 products in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), including online classifieds, Internet TV-on-demand and High Definition TV broadcast. Winner of numerous international awards and accolades including Asia Television's Broadcaster of the Year, MediaCorp’s vision is to become Asia’s top media company, delivering valued content to the world.

 

For more information, please visit  5.mediacorptv.sg