Winter has truly come to sunny Singapore, with the premiere of the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones mere weeks away. And what better way to honour the coming of the Long Night with Singapore’s very own war of the Iron Throne of television?
For those of you out of the loop, the sole monopoly of HBO – ergo the sole monopoly of the screening of Game of Thrones – was long under the grasp of StarHub, for many years over.
That was until recently, when rival TV network Singtel got hold of a shiny new partnership with HBO Asia, with the launch of HBO’s very own mobile streaming service, HBO Go, alongside attractive free subscriptions that allowed Singtel fans to catch up on the first seven seasons of GoT before Season 8 begins this April.
Naturally, House StarHub has been awoken by House Singtel’s encroachment. Thus StarHub is looking to redouble their efforts in reestablishing their dominance of the Iron HBO Throne. However, an unexpected third contender for the title, House Toggle, entered the fray just last month, providing even more options for GoT fans to catch their favourite characters in action against the dreaded White Walkers and the Night King.
To encapsulate this burgeoning TV war, House StarHub has sent Geek Culture a curious little package to signal their intent to strengthen their grip over the HBO jewel.
Interesting, eh?
What’s this, a letter? Let’s see what’s inside.
Now this is truly a statement of intent. That, right there, is a fully handwritten letter, and from that excellent calligraphy, we have the message:
Dear Arya,
The House of StarHub humbly asks for the support of House of Stark. We ask that you stand shoulder to shoulder with us in the battle to make TV better. So the Kingdom of Singapore may have the TV she deserves.
You heard it from House StarHub themselves — it’s a war, all right! And to add a cherry on top, they even provided us with these cupcakes.
If that’s not a statement of intent, we don’t know what is. House Singtel, House Toggle, your move.
As such, Singaporeans may well be witnessing the fires of a television war brewing… to their benefit, of course!
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Natalie
HSALS
