VIRTUE Asia, V47 Entertainment and COL Group launch Inside Microdramas upfront in Singapore

VIRTUE Asia, V47 Entertainment and COL Group have launched ‘Inside Microdramas’, the world’s first upfront dedicated to microdramas and the rapidly expanding vertical entertainment economy, creating a new marketplace where brands, creators, platforms and producers can collaborate on the next generation of entertainment IP.

Designed for senior leaders across marketing, advertising, entertainment and technology, Inside Microdramas reflects the rapid evolution of branded entertainment as marketers increasingly look beyond traditional campaigns to invest in original intellectual property and cultural storytelling.

Microdramas have moved from niche format to global entertainment phenomenon, introducing new hitmakers, business models and ways for brands to participate in storytelling at the point of creation.

In addition, while microdramas have become one of entertainment’s fastest-growing formats in the region, they represent the beginning of a much broader shift towards vertical entertainment, a mobile-first ecosystem spanning scripted series, creator-led formats, reality, factual entertainment, interactive storytelling, commerce and branded IP.

The launch of Inside Microdramas builds on the partnership announced in June between V47 Entertainment, VIRTUE Asia and China’s COL Group to expand brand access to microdrama, vertical video and mobile-first storytelling across Southeast Asia. It also marks the next chapter for V47 Entertainment, the joint venture launched in late 2025 by VIRTUE Asia and Goldfinch International to develop and commercialise brand-enabled entertainment IP across Asia.

David Webster, chairman of V47 Entertainment, said: “The next evolution of branded entertainment will not come from placing brands into stories after they have already been developed. It will come from bringing brands, creators and producers together at the very beginning. This upfront creates a marketplace for that collaboration, where original ideas can find the right partners, funding and distribution to become entertainment audiences genuinely choose to watch.”

Timothy Oh, general manager, international, at COL Group, added: “Microdramas are not the entire story. They are the first signal of a much bigger shift in how entertainment is created, distributed, funded and consumed. Inside Microdramas is designed to move the conversation beyond the format itself and explore the wider vertical entertainment economy emerging around it. It will also give brands the opportunity to participate much earlier, not simply as advertisers, but as partners in building the next generation of entertainment IP.”

Presented under the theme ‘Inside the business, culture and future of entertainment’s fastest-growing format’, the event will combine industry insights, brand perspectives, cross-industry discussion, project previews and one-to-one partnership sessions.

VIRTUE Asia will host ‘Why brands need entertainment, not more content’, exploring how brands can move beyond producing more content or marketing around culture, to becoming active participants in the creation of stories, characters and entertainment worlds that audiences choose to follow.

‘Are brands becoming the new studios?’ brings together representatives from brands, platforms, production and entertainment to examine the new economics shaping the sector. Hosted by V47 Entertainment, the session will explore where brands, creators, platforms and studios fit within the next entertainment economy, and what each party must contribute to build credible, audience-first entertainment.

The opening session ‘The new rules of attention’ from COL Group will look at why the rise of microdramas is forcing studios, platforms and creators to rethink how stories are developed, distributed and consumed.

Following the main program there will be an exclusive first look at V47 Entertainment and COL Group’s 2027 entertainment slate, featuring approximately 10 original projects available for development and production with brand partners, while Greenlight Sessions, will give marketers the opportunity to meet directly with creators, producers and strategists to explore co-development, financing and distribution partnerships.

Inside Microdramas will take place in Singapore on 27 October, with further details on the venue, speakers and 2027 slate to be announced shortly.