The Singapore Media Festival (SMF) will return from 1 to 5 December 2026 for its 13th edition, introducing a new Asia Creator Summit to help creators and businesses develop sustainable revenue streams, build intellectual property and expand into international markets.
Hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), SMF 2026 will bring together creators, media companies, brands, technology providers and industry leaders to explore commercial opportunities and strengthen Singapore’s position as a regional media hub.
The new Asia Creator Summit (ACS) will run from 4 to 5 December at Marina Bay Sands under the theme “Create. Monetise. Scale”. It will sit alongside the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), a longstanding event for content trading, co production and entertainment industry discussions, which returns for its 27th edition from 1 to 4 December.
Together, the two events aim to create commercial opportunities, develop industry skills and connect Singapore’s media businesses and creative talent with international partners.
Curated by Generation Experience (GenXP) in collaboration with Monica Khan, Founder and CEO of Creator Revolution, the Asia Creator Summit will feature more than 20 keynotes, panel discussions, master classes and hands on sessions. Developed in consultation with industry professionals, the programme will focus on helping creators build their businesses, develop intellectual property and grow their audiences across markets.
Among the featured speakers are KIMPRO, one of South Korea’s leading digital creators with more than 130 million subscribers and 154 billion lifetime views, and ISSEI, a Japanese digital creator with more than 75 million YouTube subscribers known for his non-verbal comedy videos.
The summit will also feature AJ Eckstein, Founder and CEO of US based Creator Match, which has helped brands including Anthropic, Fiverr, Notion, Lovable and Zapier develop and scale their creator programmes.
Singapore’s media industry will be represented by Johnathan Chua, CEO and Co-Founder of GRVTY Media; Kelvin Tan, CEO of DU Media Holdings; and Althea Lim, Group CEO and Co-Founder of Gushcloud International.
Beyond discussions and presentations, ACS will give creators opportunities to pitch ideas for real world campaigns. Mandarin Oriental, Singapore will run a Creator Pitch Challenge inviting participants to develop original content concepts for the hotel’s 40th anniversary.
Bloomr.SG will also introduce its Creator Lab pitching initiative, which will invite participants to propose ideas focused on the creator economy, with up to S$100,000 in awards available. Calls for proposals for both initiatives are scheduled to open in early November 2026.
Meanwhile, ATF, organised by RX Global, will take place at Marina Bay Sands from 1 to 4 December. The event is expected to attract more than 5,000 Asian and international content industry participants from 60 countries and regions.
Under the theme “The Attention Economy”, the ATF Leaders’ Dialogue on 1 December will bring together senior representatives from East West Bank, Omdia, TikTok, Unilever, WEBTOON Productions and YouTube. Discussions will examine how changing audience behaviour and fandom are influencing content distribution, financing and branded entertainment, as well as how businesses can turn audience engagement into commercial value.
Artificial intelligence will also be a major focus at ATF 2026 through a new programme and dedicated zone titled “The AI Era | Entertainment Reimagined”. The initiative will examine AI’s implications for content creation, intellectual property rights and regulation, including the protection of creative works.
Contributors will include representatives from Huace Group, Moonmax and Studio Meta K, alongside organisations such as the Motion Picture Association, Television Academy and World Intellectual Property Organization.
ATF will also host the Grand Finals of AI Hackathon 2026, presented by Yoywow Space and Visify. The programme will feature a live creative challenge and screenings of selected works, showcasing how AI can be applied to entertainment and content production.
On the international market front, ATF will introduce new pavilions from Canada and Indonesia, expanding opportunities for buyers and potential partners to discover content and creative talent from both markets.
Microdramas will receive increased attention at this year’s event, with ATF continuing to showcase exhibitors’ latest drama titles through its drama showcases. Accelerator and pitching programmes will also highlight emerging intellectual property and connect content producers with potential development partners.
With the addition of the Asia Creator Summit and new initiatives across content production, AI and international collaboration, SMF 2026 aims to strengthen connections between Singapore’s media industry and the wider global entertainment ecosystem. The festival will run from 1 to 5 December 2026, with ACS taking place on 4 and 5 December and ATF running from 1 to 4 December at Marina Bay Sands.
