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When the SPH MediaWorks broadcaster was created in 2000 and attracted several prominent Mediacorp artists to join its ranks, it was a media war that would be counted for years to come.
And former actress and host Sharon Au found herself caught in the middle, along with her co-workers (at the time) Kym Ng and Bryan Wong.
On the most recent episode of the meWATCH Hear U Out talk show, the 45-year-old shared her side of the story, including how people viewed her as a traitor for staying with Mediacorp and how she came out of the ‘war’ as the oldest winner.
Due to stiff competition and fighting for celebrity talents at the time, Sharon said Mediacorp offered its artists whatever they wanted in an attempt to get them to stay.
“If you wanted a custom drama, it would be done. If you wanted to host your own show, it would be done. We really had what we wanted back then.”
And since he regretted not having gone to university to continue his studies, he asked Mediacorp for a scholarship and nothing else. The company was surprised by his request and asked if he wanted to act in movies and television series, release an album, or host his own show.
Sharon added: “I told him, ‘No. I want the scholarship. ‘ I knew they couldn’t give me what I wanted, so I was very happy. But in the end, they told me to give them 24 hours. They told me not to make hasty decisions and that they would get back to me within 24 hours. . “
The turn of events threw a twist in their plans as, according to Sharon, “we had all agreed to go together to create a new world.” Her colleagues also knew this would be a game changer for Sharon, as she was a bookworm and was always reading on set.
In the end, Mediacorp agreed to his request and decided to stay while other celebrities, such as Kym, Bryan, Darren Lim, and Guo Liang, joined MediaWorks. In the four years that followed, Sharon’s fame as a variety show host grew as she won awards each year and delayed her studies to continue driving.
ALSO READ: Sharon Au stays in Paris despite the country’s Covid-19 blockade and brutal attacks
As luck would have it, Mediacorp and MediaWorks merged in 2004 and Sharon announced that she would be leaving to continue her studies in 2005, leading people to speculate that she was “on the run.” However, it was just a coincidence, he clarified. There was a deadline for his scholarship and he had to use it in 2005.
Hear U Out host Quan Yi Fong asked Sharon if she felt she was the “ultimate winner” of this entire media war when she boarded the plane to Japan for her studies.
Sharon replied, “The feeling was very ingrained and real because after talking about the scholarship for five years, I finally got it and was finally on the plane. I really felt like a big winner.”
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