ATF Opens in Singapore

A buzzy and busy Asia TV Forum officially opened in Singapore today, with some 5,000 delegates from more than 60 markets expected to be on-site at the Marina Bay Sands for the annual event, which wraps on Friday.

“Today is an auspicious day, befitting the joyous occasion of launching a strong in-person edition against the backdrop of a fully open economy,” Yeh Chien Ee, president for the Asia Pacific at RX, said at this morning’s opening ceremony. “The attendance for the 2023 edition has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, with a sold-out market and an agenda packed with networking possibilities.”

Against a backdrop of consolidation, rising content prices, advances in technology and evolving business models, the theme for this year’s edition is Rewriting the Business of Entertainment, Yeh noted.

Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Tan Kiat How, also delivered an address at the opening ceremony, noting: “Exciting new technologies like virtual production, artificial intelligence and immersive storytelling are set to change the way we create and experience media. These trends will open up exciting opportunities for content creation, production and collaboration.”

To support Singapore’s aspirations for fostering creativity and innovation across the region, the island nation will remain focused on three pillars, Tan said: “partnerships, people and potential.”

On the partnerships front, Tan highlighted the country’s new S$30 million International Co-Production fund for dramas. The country has also been investing in creative talent through media training programs. The goal, Tan noted, is to create “fresh opportunities for media talents to deepen their expertise by working with international counterparts in key creative roles. More international co-productions will also showcase our Singaporean talent beyond our shores.”

ATF forms part of the broader Singapore Media Festival (SMF), which is marking its tenth anniversary. “The next decade will be an exciting one for the media ecosystem, with many new opportunities, as long as we have the guts and the ambition and we’re willing to put in the hard work. Singapore aims to be a trusted partner for you in realizing your ideas, and we will continue to invest in our local media ecosystem.”