IMDA and Mediacorp launch Content Development Fund in Singapore

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Mediacorp have announced the launch of a new Content Development Fund (CDF) to reinvigorate, refresh and raise the quality, innovativeness and creativity of public service broadcast (PSB) content on Mediacorp’s platforms.

The three-year fund will provide seed money to local content creators to pilot and test new concepts and formats. It aims to encourage experimentation and the use of cutting-edge technologies to create fun, engaging and meaningful content.   

The CDF is open to Singapore-registered companies only and will be managed through an open Call-For-Pitch process. Projects funded under the CDF should cater to local audiences of Mediacorp channels and platforms, including TV and digital. These include Channel 5, okto, Channel 8, Suria, Vasantham, Channel NewsAsia, and Toggle. 

Ms Angeline Poh, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry Development), IMDA said, “By harnessing the value of technology and combining it with expert storytelling techniques, we can reinvent the way stories are told. Through the Content Development Fund, we aim to encourage creative individuals to think out of the box, try out new content formats and technology that will keep our local public service content exciting for Singaporean audiences in this digital age. We look forward to seeing many innovative ideas emerge.” 

Ms Debra Soon, Chief Customer Officer Mediacorp said, “We are delighted to partner the IMDA and co-invest in raising the bar on local productions. We are looking for fresh, innovative, fun and meaningful concepts to tell real Singapore stories that resonate with different audiences.  We hope it will spur experimentation and creativity with new content formats to cater to a new generation.” 

Central to the initiative is new technology. One recent example of how new technologies are being incorporated into content, is for the upcoming Channel 5 drama, Missing, which will be the first Virtual Reality (VR) series produced in partnership with WaWa Pictures and Vostok VR. Missing will debut on Channel 5 in February 2018.

Added Ms Soon, “Setting this drama apart from what we’ve done in the past are VR web videos produced to complement the main storyline and providing immersive experiences for audiences in the backstories of the characters and the crime scenes. We aim to keep the public service broadcasting content that we create always fresh, always relevant.”