IMDA, TikTok team up to build Singapore’s microdrama pipeline

Singapore’s media professionals are set to get a new route into microdrama production, as IMDA and TikTok launch a programme aimed at building local expertise, developing original IP and helping creators take short-form stories from concept to commercialisation.

The six- to nine-month IMDA-TikTok Microdrama Programme will support media professionals from 20 accredited companies in developing and producing microdramas spanning live-action and AI-enabled animation. Participants will learn to create series of 50 to 100 episodes, with each episode running between one and three minutes.

The programme extends IMDA’s Digital Content and Capability Development (DCCD) programme, which was launched earlier this year to strengthen capabilities across Singapore’s media industry. Through mentorships, workshops and masterclasses, participants will develop skills including vertical content production, shot design and composition, cliffhanger-led storytelling and the responsible use of AI.

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Two tracks will be available. The live-action track will focus on productions using actors, locations and sets designed for mobile viewing, with participants able to supplement their work with AI-generated content or AI assistance. The AI-enabled animation track will cover anime- and comic-style animation, including prompt engineering, character consistency, visual effects quality review and the use of Seedance 2.5, an AI video generation platform developed by TikTok parent ByteDance.

Beyond production, the programme will also introduce participants to the commercial side of microdrama, including paywall strategies, audience monetisation and platform-specific capabilities. TikTok will provide market insights and expertise, while participants will be onboarded onto its wider content ecosystem covering distribution, audience engagement and global market opportunities.

Yvonne Tang, assistant chief executive at IMDA’s Media Industry Group, said the partnership will help Singapore’s media professionals develop microdrama for audiences beyond the domestic market.

“IMDA is excited to partner with TikTok to equip our media professionals with the skills to create compelling Singapore-made microdrama for global audiences,” she said. “With TikTok’s reach and insights, our talent and companies are well-placed to seize new opportunities on a global platform, harnessing new tech tools with the same care and craft they bring to any creative work.”

In tandem, Candera Chan, public policy lead for Singapore and ASEAN at TikTok, said the partnership would combine Singapore’s creative talent with TikTok’s global reach and short-form storytelling expertise.

The programme is intended to give Singapore media companies a clearer path from storytelling to distribution and monetisation, while helping original Singapore-made IP reach audiences across markets and formats.

The partnership comes as microdrama and other short-form vertical video formats continue to expand. The global microdrama market is projected to generate US$150 billion in revenue in 2026.

Meanwhile, 87% of people in Singapore aged 15 and above accessed major social media video platforms including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook weekly between April 2025 and March 2026, according to SG-TAM data cited by IMDA. 

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