Mediacorp Just Had a Major Night in Bangkok — And CNA Took Home 8 of the 15 Wins
SINGAPORE — Mediacorp has added another major international recognition to its growing awards haul, taking home 15 prizes at the 2026 ContentAsia Awards in Bangkok, with eight of those awards going to CNA.
The haul, announced on Aug. 27, comprised six gold, five silver and four bronze awards, covering current affairs, factual programming, environmental and social impact, entertainment, drama, acting, microdrama and technology in content production.
CNA itself collected two golds, five silvers and one bronze, underscoring the Singapore-based news network's growing recognition beyond traditional news broadcasting and across regional and international audiences.
The 2026 ContentAsia Awards were held in Bangkok and marked the seventh edition of the awards. According to ContentAsia, more than 500 entries from across Asia were submitted, with more than 180 programmes ultimately nominated across 35 categories. The winners represented 11 countries and regions.
CNA's two gold-winning programmes
Among CNA's biggest victories was “One ‘Orphan’ Every Hour,” which won gold for Best Current Affairs Programme Made in Asia for Regional Asia and/or International Markets.
The programme investigates the history of South Korean children who were adopted overseas and examines how almost 250,000 Korean children were sent abroad as “orphans” during the six decades following the Korean War.
CNA also took gold for “Inside the Great ATM Heist,” which won Best Factual Programme Made in Asia for a Single Asian Market.
The programme examines Taiwan's first remote bank ATM hacking spree, adding another international recognition to CNA's growing portfolio of investigative and factual productions.
CNA's other ContentAsia wins
CNA's silver-winning productions included “Undercover Asia S12: Inside the Illegal ‘Dunki’ Route,” “Insight: Southeast Asia's Scam Empire,” “Bones of Contention,” and “Insight: Southeast Asia's Big Problem with Microplastics.”
The network also received a silver for Ivory Chia's performance as Xin Niang in “Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story.”
Meanwhile, “Separation Declassified” earned a bronze in the factual-programme category, while “Who Did My Ah Ma Kill?” received bronze for Shortform: Best Vertical Video Series Made in Asia.
Mediacorp's wider success goes beyond CNA
The awards were not limited to news and current affairs.
Mediacorp's “Rail Life Story: Bangladesh” won gold for Best Factual Entertainment Programme Made in Asia for a Single Asian Market, while “Woke Up In The 60s In My Grandma's Apron” won gold for Best Microdrama Series Made in Asia.
The company's entertainment division also scored major acting recognition.
Chen Liping, who played Zhu Niang in “Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story,” won gold for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Programme/Series Made in Asia. Ivory Chia earned silver in the same broad acting field, while Tyler Ten received bronze for his performance as Bai Ah Li in “Emerald Hill.”
Mediacorp also won gold for “Through Time” in the Best Use of Technology in Content Production in Asia category.
A significant year for Singapore's media industry
The latest results are another indication that Singapore-produced content is competing strongly in a regional media market increasingly shaped by streaming platforms, digital-first storytelling and international co-productions.
ContentAsia said this year's awards recognised work across a broad range of genres and formats, with winners coming from 11 Asian countries and regions. The organisation also noted that the quality of original production in Asia continues to develop despite significant challenges facing the global media industry.
For Mediacorp, the latest recognition follows another substantial international achievement earlier this year.
In May, the Singapore media company was named Broadcaster of the Year at the 2026 World Media Festivals for the second consecutive year. Mediacorp received 48 accolades at that event, including a grand award, 21 golds and 25 silvers.
That makes the ContentAsia showing part of a broader run of international recognition rather than an isolated awards-night success.
The bigger story behind the 15 wins
The significance of Mediacorp's latest haul goes beyond the number of trophies.
Eight of the company's 15 ContentAsia wins came from CNA, demonstrating that the network's output is being recognised across several forms of storytelling — from investigative current affairs and factual documentaries to environmental reporting and short-form digital content.
At the same time, Mediacorp's entertainment productions and performers contributed substantially to the overall tally, highlighting the breadth of Singapore's national media company.
The 2026 ContentAsia results therefore offer a snapshot of a media organisation attempting to compete on multiple fronts: trusted journalism, international factual storytelling, local drama, emerging microdrama formats and technology-driven production.
And with Asian media markets becoming increasingly interconnected, the question may no longer be whether Singaporean productions can compete regionally — but how much further they can push that reach.
For Mediacorp and CNA, the latest 15-award haul suggests the answer is already becoming clearer.