Discovery & IMDA Align in Content Partnership

SINGAPORE: Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) and the Info-Communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) will be working together to co-create content with producers in Singapore, making use of 4K and VR technologies.

The $5 million year-long initiative is designed to nurture new and upcoming producers in Singapore, as well as give the country’s established producers the opportunity to showcase their expertise to a global audience. The initiative kicks off next month with a public call for entries and pitch brief, resulting in a boot camp aimed at taking aspiring producers through DNAP’s best practices of documentary-making for a global audience. In 2017, producers will be invited to a series of workshops dedicated to imparting the fundamentals and advanced techniques of 4K productions. This will culminate in DNAP’s first full 4K commission with selected Singaporean production companies, which will be aired on Discovery across the region. Next year will also see Discovery’s global crew train local producers in VR technology. The final films will premiere on the Discovery VR application globally.

“Discovery is a pioneer in using cutting-edge technology to tell amazing stories. Together with IMDA, a long-time partner and supporter of the development and growth of our homegrown talent, we are pleased to have the opportunity to help mentor and invest in the next generation of Singapore producers,” said Louis Boswell, the general manager at Discovery Southeast Asia. “Building on Discovery’s expertise across the globe, together with the industry’s top players, we will establish a training ground for Singapore producers to showcase great content that can resonate around the world.”

Angeline Poh, assistant CEO of content and innovation group at IMDA, said, “We are pleased to partner Discovery to create this opportunity for Singapore’s media talent to tell their stories using new production technologies that deliver a more immersive and engaging experience for the viewer. We are confident that this combination of Discovery’s experience in innovation with the creativity of Singapore’s media talent will result in a series of new shows that will delight global audiences.”