Coronavirus: IMDA to protect jobs with new $8m Public Service Content Fund

In the fight against Covid-19, Singapore enacted a chain of circuit breaker measures which has affected companies, employees and freelancers.

To help protect and benefit the local media industry, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has launched a new $8 million Public Service Content (PSC) Fund, along with a series of other initiatives, which will catalyse more projects for local media companies and professionals in the coming months.

S Iswaran, Minister for Communications and Information, said: "The Government will continue to support our media companies and professionals as they weather this trying period so that they can continue to create content that inspires, uplifts and binds us as one united people.

"Media companies can look forward to more project opportunities and reduced operating costs, while media professionals and freelancers can benefit from subsidised training fees to sharpen their craft during this downtime. Working together, we will overcome this period of uncertainty and emerge stronger as one."

Under this fund, Mediacorp, Viddsee and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) will partner with IMDA and commission short-form content that will be published on their digital platforms through a call for proposals. Up to $150,000 in funding will be available for each project proposal per call.

Mediacorp will commission the first call for proposal on April 23.

Singapore-registered media companies are applicable for the PSC Fund, and those who wish to apply have to ensure that their proposals fulfil the fund's criteria:

• Short-form digital content (single video or a slate of videos) with a minimum duration of 10 minutes per video;
• Content should mainly be in any of the four official languages;
• Content should not exceed the PG13 classification in accordance with the Content Code;
• Creative concepts must meet any of the six Public Service Broadcast objectives.

Other funds and support

IMDA will also match the Singapore Association for Motion Picture Professionals' Covid-19 Relief Fund contribution of $20,000, and the total sum of $40,000 will be used to support media practitioners affected by the cancellation and postponement of projects.

To encourage self-employed persons, including freelancers, to upskill during this challenging period, IMDA will also be providing a training grant of up to 90 per cent of course fees, capped at $3,000 per course under the Talent Assistance (T-Assis) Programme.

The Film Exhibition and Distribution Licence fees will be waived from April 17 to reduce the operating costs of media companies. This will apply to new licence applications and renewal of existing licences.

Furthermore, to strengthen local media companies' capabilities, IMDA will be leveraging the expertise of multinational corporation (MNC) partners, such as WarnerMedia, Entertainment Networks APAC and ViacomCBS Networks Asia.

The Capability Partnership Programme pairs media MNCs with local media companies to develop 'Made in Singapore' content. The programme aims to benefit 80 to 100 local media companies over the next 12 months.

Visit IMDA for more information.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

joanwong@asiaone.com