SPH Media launches first-ever microdrama with Singtel as maiden sponsor

Singapore’s ghost stories are getting a marketing makeover, with Singtel and SPH Media betting that local folklore, AI-powered effects and episodic storytelling can give audiences a reason to watch branded content beyond the brand itself.

Their collaboration, "CONNECTED", is a 24-episode horror-comedy series developed by SPH Content Lab and sponsored by Singtel. Marking SPH Media’s first microdrama intellectual property (IP), the series was released across three drops from 10 October 2026 and is distributed through STOMP, HardwareZone and Singtel’s social media channels.

Drawing inspiration from spooky stories submitted to STOMP and tales traditionally shared at chalet gatherings, school camps and after-work drinks, CONNECTED follows two unlikely investigators pursuing strange happenings across familiar Singapore settings. The series combines local folklore, supernatural creatures and distinctly Singaporean humour to give familiar ghost stories a contemporary spin.

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The premise gives Singtel a way to connect its brand with local culture without making the series a conventional advertising vehicle. Lynette Poh, head of brand, engagement and loyalty at Singtel, said the partnership was an opportunity to bring together local storytelling, creative talent and emerging technology.

“As a homegrown technology company, Singtel has always been closely connected to Singapore’s communities and culture. We saw an exciting opportunity to collaborate with SPH to create something distinctly Singaporean, that brings together local storytelling, creative talent and new technologies to explore new possibilities in entertainment,” she said.

The brand’s role is built around a theme that runs through the fictional series and Singtel’s own positioning: keeping people connected.

“It might be fiction as entertainment but threaded through CONNECTED is Singtel's very real role in keeping people connected to friends, family and community,” Poh said.

That connection also extends to the production itself. Singtel sees the project as a way to demonstrate how artificial intelligence can support Singapore’s creative community, rather than simply using the technology as a marketing talking point.

“This collaboration goes beyond brand engagement. It reflects our commitment for AI to create real world value to support Singapore’s creative community and demonstrating how technology can expand the avenues of storytelling, with human imagination and cultural understanding at its heart,” Poh said.

AI meets the supernatural

Every creature in CONNECTED began as an original sketch by SPH Content Lab’s artists before being combined with original photography and live-action footage through a hybrid visual effects workflow involving production partners Editlounge and Gengis AI.

The approach allowed the team to bring supernatural elements to life while retaining the distinctly local details that underpin the series. For Singtel, that balance between technological capability and cultural understanding is central to what makes the project work.

“The production also reflects something we strongly believe in at Singtel: the best outcomes come from combining Artificial Intelligence with Human Intelligence and Cultural Intelligence,” Poh said.

“AI has enabled the creative team to produce remarkably realistic supernatural effects, but it is their imagination, storytelling expertise and understanding of Singaporean culture that make the series entertaining and relatable. That combination is what makes technology exciting,” she added.

Phin Wong, head of content and solutioning division at SPH Media, said the production builds on SPH Content Lab’s existing branded content work, which has ranged from animated cats explaining scams and comedic infotainment about broadband to a reality makeover series featuring Singapore small and medium-sized businesses.

Rather than applying a standardised approach to every brief, the team considers what kind of content will best serve both the client and the audience, he said.

“At SPH Content Lab, we don't have a ‘typical’ branded content video solution. We approach every brief by asking what kind of content will work best for both the client and the audience,” Wong said.

With CONNECTED, that approach has taken the team into episodic, narrative-driven entertainment, complete with original creature designs, a fictional world and stories intended to keep viewers returning for the next instalment.

“What's new is applying that experience to episodic, narrative-driven horror-comedy entertainment, with original creature design, a fictional world, and stories designed to keep audiences coming back for the next episode,” he said.

“Our writers, artists, actors and filmmakers led the creative process, with new technology expanding what was possible visually; helping us realise parts of the story that would otherwise be difficult to put on screen. CONNECTED is ultimately about what happens when you give creative people new tools and the freedom to play, while keeping the story and the people making it at the centre,” Wong added.

Beyond the view count

The commercial proposition behind CONNECTED rests on a distinction between getting a brand in front of audiences and creating something audiences actively want to watch.

Poh said Singtel will assess reach, viewership, audience engagement and brand impact. It will also look at whether viewers enjoy the series, connect with its characters and stories, and want to share it with others. Specific performance targets were not disclosed.

That leaves audience response as an important consideration in determining whether the format merits further investment. Singtel is open to more content-led collaborations, particularly as technology creates new approaches to production and audience engagement.

“CONNECTED is an encouraging example of what can happen when creative talent, cultural understanding, and technology come together. The response to the series will give us valuable insights into how audiences engage with these new formats and what we can explore next,” Poh said.

SPH Media is also seeing potential interest from other brands. Wong said the company has had encouraging conversations with prospective partners about microdramas, although he declined to name them.

“What they’re responding to is the same opportunity Singtel saw: To play with new ways of storytelling within the vertical video format, be part of original Singapore entertainment that audiences want to watch, and connect their brand purpose to stories that are relevant to people’s lives – beyond straightforward advertising,” he said.

However, interest in the format does not mean SPH Content Lab intends to make microdramas the default solution for branded content. Wong said the team’s focus remains on matching the creative approach to the client’s objectives and what will resonate with its intended audience.

As Phin puts it: 

Our ambition isn't to produce microdramas for the sake of producing microdramas. It's really to keep expanding the ways we can create content that audiences want to spend time with.

“The microdrama format opens up interesting commercial possibilities for brands looking to be part of original entertainment. But the starting point for us will always be the same: What does the client want to achieve? What will resonate with the audience? And what's the most compelling way to bring those two things together?” he added.

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