Speech by SMS Tan Kiat How at Launch of Digital Content & Capability Development Programme

Mr Ng Cher Pong, CEO of IMDA

Ms Yvonne Tang, ACE of IMDA

IMDA colleagues, friends from the media industry and friends from the media.

1. Good morning, everyone. Today we are here to share some announcements on a new programme that MDDI and IMDA colleagues have put together to support our media industry.

2. We all know that technology is changing many sectors, especially artificial intelligence (AI) – not just Generative AI, but the whole host of technology that comes with it.

3. It is impacting the entire value chain for the media industry, from pre-production and conceptualisation, all the way to production, post-production, and how content is distributed, discovered, consumed by a diverse range of audiences on many different platforms.

4. But the media sector is used to such technological changes. Long time ago, we were on scheduled television – sitting in front of the TV, waiting for the time to catch the latest episode of our favourite drama – and now we have moved on to on-demand. From traditional long-form content to now digital-first, social media-first, with algorithms pushing content to you based on your preferences determined by artificial intelligence, on different platforms from broadcast, internet, social media platforms and now artificial intelligence.

5. Where do we go from here, and what does it mean for media sector that we hold so dear and so precious to all of us?

6. I believe the end of the day is about connections. It's about stories that we tell, whether it resonates with audiences, leaves an imprint on them, even after they step out the theatre, after watching the episode on their mobile phone or whatever platforms that they consume your content. Does it connect them to something deeper, make them laugh, make them cry, make them reflect, and connect to something that they feel strongly about – their identity, shared experiences, human emotions? How do we connect with audiences in this new digital age?

7. We are in a strong position. We have talented people in our industry – on screen, off screen, behind the screen, storytellers. Our Made-with-Singapore content is punching above its weight around the world – from Anthony Chen’s “We Are Not Strangers”, selected for the Golden Bear Berlin International Film, the very first Singaporean film  to be competing in that arena, to Ervin Han’s “The Violinist”, pre- and post-war setting in Singapore. This shows that our Singaporean experiences are also appreciated by people outside this little red dot, because they talk about human connections, about something authentic and real.

8. We are starting from a good position with our Made-with-Singapore content making waves outside Singapore. At the same time, standing still is not an option. I mentioned some of the big trends earlier – new platforms, new audiences on those platforms, new content formats, micro dramas, AI-generated content.

9. My belief is that we should also see these trends as opportunities. Let me elaborate.

10. Singapore's market, especially for the media sector, is small, like many other industries. But creating content the traditional way, whether long-form TV series, visual effects, post-production, or animation, requires multi-million dollar budgets and long creation, distribution, and marketing cycles before any commercialisation opportunities come about. But using digital technology and AI tools shrinks the time to create content – from concept to first draft, first animation, first screen placement, to production and commercialisation. It shrinks the cycle and reduces the barriers to entry for different forms of content.

11. These are opportunities, especially for Singapore talents. But at the same time, when you lower barriers of entry, it also enables new entrants in a market – beyond your traditional content creators, to digital-native content creators, different firms, and even individuals creating content or using digital platforms.

12. At the end of the day, we should be very clear – technology is not replacing us when it comes to creating content that resonates, that travels, that makes people want to come back. It just enables content creators pilot, prototype and create different content more quickly, reaching new and different audiences, across different formats, and creating new opportunities.

13. Over the last couple of years, we have been working closely with a number of you to try out different digital content in different formats, to get a sense of how we can better support these short-form, social-first, digital-first content. Over the last two years we have learned a lot. I think we all learnt together – a lot of teething pains, lessons and takeaways, but I also say very encouraging and heartening progress over last two years.

14. Together, we created more than 2,000 videos, digital first, social first, and achieved more than 200 million local video views. I must say, this is very encouraging.

15. We are building on this foundation. Today, we are launching a new Digital Content and Capability Development programme to support digital content creators, especially those scaling up.

16. There are two parts to this. We are setting aside $48 million over the next few years to support digital content and capability development – in new formats,  new technologies, and especially in how we are using AI.

17. $48 million is, I think, a sensible start. If the results are good, if we see good value, and if the industry finds this a good support for their ambitions, we are prepared to do more.

18. This is on top of the $200 million Talent Accelerator Programme, which I announced at the Singapore Media Festival last December. That $200 million programme focuses more on longer-form, more established formats and capability development

19. Together over the next few years, IMDA is setting aside about $250 million to support the media industry.

20. This is a period of rapid changes in the industry. Audiences are consuming content in so many different ways across  many different platforms, with new entrants and  business models of how content is created, distributed and monetised.

21. In this period of rapid change, we are journeying together with industry to seize opportunities. We in Singapore do not have the luxury of pretending that these changes and environment drivers do not exist. How do we traverse this world together and see those new opportunities outside Singapore?

22. The Digital Content & Capability Development programme will support the digital content creators looking to scale up in more established formats. We will call for proposals across areas such as micro dramas and shorter TV series, while also supporting capability development.

23. These are more experimental, innovative formats using AI tools to create content in different ways. Experimental and may have not yet been proven, but we want to support content creators and companies who want to innovate and try out different things.

24. In addition to the Digital Content & Capability Development programme, we are also working closely with other agencies like SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and NTUC to curate a set of AI training courses, as part of the National AI Impact programme.

25. On the SSG website, there are hundreds, or even maybe thousands of AI-related courses – and some may not be so relevant. To make sense of the courses and capabilities that we think the media industry needs to build up, we have worked together with SSG, with inputs from some of you here, to curate 55 courses that will be on IMDA’s website. If you find it overwhelming to navigate all these courses, take a look at IMDA’s website – the 55 curated courses there might be a good starting point.

26. These courses are supported by SSG. If you are 40 years above, you can get up to 90% of the course fees subsidised. We have worked with NTUC as part of the Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) to support the remaining 10% up to a certain yearly cap. On top of that, you can also tap on your SkillsFuture credit for the remaining fees.

27. The different range of courses – some longer courses all the way to a diploma, some short-term courses from different providers, aim at different competencies and skillsets needed in this rapidly evolving digital environment.

28. Importantly, training, attending courses, building skillsets and competencies must lead to something applied – delivering real value to your company or your work. Think of the Digital Content & Capability Development programme as the support for real deliverables. Before you attend the courses, you can think about the problems you wish to solve in your workplace or the capabilities you want to build up, for example, using Gen AI for storyboarding, or using some tools to create animation for certain projects. Start with that in mind, think about the courses you want to send your staff or yourself to attend, adapt and apply what you have learnt in the real projects and new experiences, and hopefully it becomes a virtuous cycle.

29. I also seek your assistance to give us your feedback – What works? What doesn't work? What courses are useful? Give us feedback so we can refine and adapt the programme along the way.

30. The programme and the training ought to go hand in hand to make real impact and create real value in organisations, and I'm very glad that you have many of our industry partners already experimenting and sharing with us some of the early lessons and takeaways, which we have tried to incorporate into the programme.

31. I know many of you have shared with me many of your projects, and I am very encouraged by that.

32. This is by NoonTalk (referring to video on the screen). I understand that Dasmond and team have experimented with different tools, totally generated by AI. Having created five episodes in two weeks, they shared with me significant time and cost savings in production.

33. This is by Belive studio, a Korean collaboration on mobile first platform (referring to video on the screen). It took about five weeks to do this. It features real-life action, working with some K-pop idols, augmented with AI-generated special effects. I understand from the team that it saw about 80% cost savings compared to traditional ways.

34. I am very heartened that many of our industry players have already started experimenting. With the Digital Content & Capability Development programme, as well as our training, we hope to accelerate and supercharge these developments.

35. I want to say a big thank you to all our industry partners, who have been working with us over the past couple of years to develop many of these programmes. We went to see good practices around the world.

36. The strength of our ecosystem we can take the best of what others are doing, adapt and evolve them for our needs – a hybrid uniquely-Singapore approach – tapping on the best ideas and tools, and working with like-minded partners from different ecosystems. That is obviously our strength, and we should never lose that strength. Looking at what other industries are doing, what other ecosystem systems are doing, and being pragmatic and practical in how we can adopt and perhaps even do better,

37. But the journey does not stop here. We are just starting on the next phase of our journey, so I encourage you to continue this collaboration with the IMDA team.

38. This is a close partnership between the industry, our government agencies, as well as our unions.

39. Let me just conclude. Standing still in this age of rapid change – in business models, new ways of doing things, age of technological advances like AI – is not an option. It is not an option for Singapore, and it is certainly not an option for the media sector in Singapore.

40. You do not have to journey this alone. We are walking the journey together. We are learning together. We are finding new opportunities and seizing those opportunities together.

41. We may be a little red dot, but we have big dreams that go beyond the small market and the geographical confines of where we are in Singapore.

42. Looking forward to your support as well as your inputs along the way as we evolve the programme.

43. Thank you very much.