New S$8m fund to protect jobs, help freelancers in Singapore media sector amid Covid-19 outbreak

THE Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Tuesday unveiled several initiatives aimed at protecting jobs and tiding the local media sector over the coronavirus pandemic.

These measures will help media companies benefit from more production project opportunities and reduced operating costs, as well as assist media professionals and freelancers in training and upskilling, IMDA said. 

The S$8 million Public Service Content Fund, for instance, will catalyse more production projects that in turn benefit media professionals in the coming months. 

Under this initiative, Mediacorp, Viddsee and Singapore Press Holdings will commission short-form content for their digital platforms through a call for proposal (CFP). Up to S$150,000 in funding from the  fund will be available per project per call. Mediacorp will launch the first CFP on April 23. 

Media companies and talent can also take advantage of the "circuit-breaker" period to start planning, conceptualising and submitting their proposals to be ready for production work when the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, IMDA noted. 

In addition, IMDA will contribute S$20,000 to the Singapore Association for Motion Picture Professionals' Covid-19 Relief Fund, matching the amount raised by the fund through donations and membership fees. The relief fund offers grants of between S$300 and S$500 to film and TV media practitioners affected by the cancellation and postponement of projects.

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The authority will also support the upskilling of self-employed persons (SEPs) by providing a training grant of up to 90 per cent of course fees, capped at S$3,000 per course under the Talent Assistance Programme. In addition to subsidised fees, SEPs - including freelancers - can benefit from training allowance for eligible courses, IMDA noted. 

As for media companies, the agency will waive the film exhibition and distribution licence fees from April 17. 

The waiver will apply to new licence applications and renewal of existing licences. Classification fees for films (public exhibition and video distribution), video games and label fees will also be waived until further notice, IMDA said. 

To help local media companies strengthen their capabilities, IMDA has worked with international content partners to bring forward the implementation of the Capabilities Partnership Programme. The programme pairs media multinational corporations with local media companies to develop "Made in Singapore" content, and is expected to benefit 80 to 100 local media companies over the next 12 months. 

For example, ViacomCBS Networks Asia will develop up to three regional entertainment or family content Intellectual Properties (IPs) in May 2020. WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks APAC also plans to commence development of up to three regional original content IPs for HBO Asia in June this year. 

Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran said: "The government will continue to support 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."