IMDA and TikTok launch Singapore microdrama programme for media professionals

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.