IMDA and TikTok launch Singapore microdrama programme for media professionals

From vertical live-action to AI animation, a new IMDA-TikTok programme aims to equip Singapore’s media professionals with the skills and tools to tap the fast-growing global microdrama market.

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How do storytellers keep audiences hooked when stories unfold in episodes just minutes long?

That is the opportunity behind the new IMDA-TikTok Microdrama Programme, a joint initiative by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and TikTok Singapore, announced on Thursday (Oct 1), to help local media professionals develop expertise in one of the industry’s fastest-growing formats.

The initiative is part of IMDA’s Digital Content and Capability Development programme, launched earlier this year.

WHAT ARE MICRODRAMAS?

Microdramas are essentially stories built for the smartphone era: bite-sized episodes, typically watched vertically, that use strong characters, emotional hooks and cliffhangers to keep viewers coming back for the next instalment.

The global market for microdramas and other short-form vertical video content is projected to generate US$150 billion in revenue this year, according to figures cited by IMDA and TikTok.

In Singapore, 87 per cent of people aged 15 and above access top social media video sites such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook every week.

The programme is intended to help media professionals develop stories – and commercial strategies – for short-form formats.

The first run of the programme will benefit media professionals from 20 accredited companies, with the potential to expand to a wider pool in future editions.

Over six to nine months, participants will learn to take creative ideas from concept to market, developing and producing microdramas comprising 50 to 100 episodes of one to three minutes each.

Participants will choose between two production tracks. The live-action track focuses on content filmed with actors, locations and sets for mobile viewing, with training in areas such as shot design and composition. AI-generated or AI-assisted elements can also be incorporated into the production process.

The second track focuses on AI-enabled animation in formats such as anime and comic-style storytelling. That includes prompt engineering, maintaining character consistency, reviewing VFX quality and working with Seedance 2.5, ByteDance’s AI video-generation platform.

Beyond production, participants will learn about cliffhanger design, paywall strategies and audience monetisation. The programme also aims to help participants develop original intellectual property rooted in Singapore's culture and perspectives.

Participants will also be onboarded onto TikTok’s wider content ecosystem, giving them access to the full content journey – from delivery and distribution to audience engagement.

They will also receive bespoke consultancy aimed at helping their Made-with-Singapore stories reach global markets.

Yvonne Tang, assistant chief executive at IMDA’s Media Industry Group, said the partnership would equip Singapore’s media professionals to create compelling Singapore-made microdramas for global audiences, while harnessing new technologies with the same care and craft they bring to other creative work.

TikTok’s reach and insights, she added, could also help local talent and companies seize opportunities on a global platform.

Candera Chan, TikTok’s public policy lead for Singapore and ASEAN, said combining Singapore’s creative talent with TikTok’s global reach and expertise in short-form storytelling could help made-in-Singapore content reach audiences around the world.

A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.

从垂直真人拍摄到人工智能动画，新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局 (IMDA) 与 TikTok 联合推出的一项新计划旨在为新加坡媒体专业人士提供技能和工具，以开拓快速增长的全球微剧市场。

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

当故事以每集仅几分钟的篇幅展开时，讲故事的人如何才能吸引观众？

新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局 (IMDA) 和 TikTok 新加坡于周四（10 月 1 日）宣布推出新的 IMDA-TikTok 微剧计划，旨在帮助本地媒体专业人士掌握业内增长最快的形式之一的专业知识。

该计划是新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局（IMDA）今年早些时候启动的数字内容和能力发展计划的一部分。

什么是微剧？

微型剧本质上是为智能手机时代打造的故事：短小精悍的剧集，通常以竖屏方式观看，利用鲜明的人物、情感的转折和悬念来吸引观众观看下一集。

据新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局 (IMDA) 和 TikTok 引用的数据显示，今年全球微剧和其他短视频内容的市场预计将创造 1500 亿美元的收入。

在新加坡，15 岁及以上人群中有 87% 每周都会访问 TikTok、Instagram、YouTube 和 Facebook 等热门社交媒体视频网站。

该计划旨在帮助媒体专业人士为短视频形式开发故事和商业策略。

该计划的第一期将惠及来自 20 家认证公司的媒体专业人士，未来几期有可能扩大覆盖范围。

在六到九个月的时间里，参与者将学习如何将创意从概念转化为市场产品，开发和制作包含 50 到 100 集、每集一到三分钟的微型剧。

参与者可在两条制作路线中选择一条。真人拍摄路线侧重于使用演员、实景和布景拍摄的移动端内容，并提供镜头设计和构图等方面的培训。人工智能生成或人工智能辅助的元素也可融入制作流程。

第二条路线侧重于人工智能赋能的动画，例如动画和漫画风格的故事讲述。这包括提示工程、保持角色一致性、审查视觉特效质量以及使用字节跳动的人工智能视频生成平台 Seedance 2.5。

除了制作之外，学员还将学习悬念设计、付费墙策略和受众变现。该项目还旨在帮助学员开发植根于新加坡文化和视角的原创知识产权。

参与者还将加入 TikTok 更广泛的内容生态系统，从而获得完整的内容制作流程——从交付和分发到受众互动。

他们还将获得定制咨询服务，旨在帮助他们的“新加坡制造”故事走向全球市场。

新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局媒体产业集团助理首席执行官唐伊文表示，此次合作将使新加坡的媒体专业人士能够为全球观众创作引人入胜的新加坡制造的微型剧，同时以对待其他创意作品的同样细致和精湛的技艺来运用新技术。

她补充说，TikTok 的覆盖范围和洞察力还可以帮助本地人才和公司抓住全球平台上的机遇。

TikTok 新加坡和东盟公共政策负责人 Candera Chan 表示，将新加坡的创意人才与 TikTok 的全球影响力和短视频叙事方面的专业知识相结合，可以帮助新加坡制作的内容触达世界各地的受众。

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