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The Singapore Media Festival will expand significantly this year, adding a brand-new creator economy event to its schedule alongside the established Asia TV Forum & Market. The combined event runs from December 1 to 5, with the newly launched Asia Creator Summit joining ATF as one of two main strands under the overarching theme “The Heart of the World’s Stories.”
Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority, known as IMDA, hosts the festival. Yvonne Tang, assistant chief executive of IMDA’s Media Industry Group, said the updated program reflects rapid changes across the media industry. “New technologies and audience behaviors are constantly reshaping how we consume, distribute, and monetize content today,” she said. “Our latest SMF 2026 program is designed to help Singapore’s media professionals and companies adapt in this evolving media landscape.”
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Asia Creator Summit Launches at Marina Bay Sands
The Asia Creator Summit runs December 4 and 5 at Marina Bay Sands. Its guiding theme is “Create. Monetize. Scale.” The two-day program includes more than 20 sessions, covering keynotes, panels, master classes and hands-on workshops. Generation Experience, known as GenXP, curated the summit together with Monica Khan, founder and CEO of Creator Revolution.
The speaker lineup features some of the world’s most-followed digital creators. South Korean creator Kimpro has accumulated more than 130 million subscribers and 154 billion career views. Japanese creator Issei, known for dialogue-free comedy that travels well across cultures, has attracted over 75 million YouTube subscribers. Also appearing is AJ Eckstein, founder and CEO of U.S.-based Creator Match. His company has helped major brands including Anthropic, Fiverr, Notion, Lovable and Zapier build and grow their creator programs.
Several Singapore-based executives also join the lineup. These include GRVTY Media CEO and co-founder Johnathan Chua, DU Media Holdings CEO Kelvin Tan and Gushcloud International group CEO and co-founder Althea Lim.
In addition, creators attending the summit will have opportunities to compete for real brand partnerships. Mandarin Oriental Singapore is running a Creator Pitch Challenge tied to its 40th anniversary. Meanwhile, Bloomr.SG’s Creator Lab will award up to SGD 100,000, equivalent to approximately $78,000, for standout creator-focused ideas. Calls for proposals open in early November.
Michelle Lim, founder and CEO of GenXP, said the summit fills an important gap. “Creators are playing an increasingly influential role in how audiences discover, engage and connect with content, brands and ideas,” she said. “We are excited to launch Asia Creator Summit as part of the Singapore Media Festival.”
Asia TV Forum Returns for Its 27th Edition
The Asia TV Forum & Market returns to Marina Bay Sands from December 1 to 4. Organized by RX Global, this marks the event’s 27th edition. Organizers expect more than 5,000 content industry participants from 60 countries and regions across Asia and beyond.
The opening-day ATF Leaders’ Dialogue carries the theme “The Attention Economy.” Executives from East West Bank, Omdia, TikTok, Unilever, Webtoon Productions and YouTube will discuss how shifting viewing habits and fandom culture are reshaping content distribution, financing and branded entertainment. They will also explore how companies can extract greater commercial value from audience engagement.
New AI Zone Addresses Technology and IP Challenges
A new strand titled “The AI Era | Entertainment Reimagined” will combine a dedicated conference program with a physical zone exploring artificial intelligence’s impact on content creation. The strand will examine AI’s implications for intellectual property rights and regulation, as well as how creative work can be protected in an AI-driven environment.
Participants include Huace Group, Moonmax and Studio Meta K, alongside the Motion Picture Association, the Television Academy and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Furthermore, ATF will host the final round of AI Hackathon 2026, supported by Yoywow Space and Visify. The hackathon will feature a live creative contest and screenings of selected entries.
Beyond the AI focus, this year’s ATF will also welcome new country pavilions from Canada and Indonesia. Microdrama will receive greater attention than in previous editions. ATF will also continue its drama showcases alongside accelerator and pitching programs that connect producers of new intellectual property with potential development partners.
Yeow Hui Leng, managing director for Singapore at RX Global, said ATF has grown well beyond a traditional content marketplace. “ATF has evolved to become a premier industry platform for strategic commercial announcements, content launches, and thought leadership,” she said. “Emerging technology, including AI, will be a key part of this conversation, alongside critical issues such as regulation, financing, distribution, monetization, and content innovation.”
