VIRTUE Asia, V47 and COL Group unveil 2027 microdrama slate

VIRTUE Asia, V47 Entertainment and COL Group are making a bigger play for marketers' entertainment budgets, unveiling a 2027 slate of microdramas designed to give brands a role beyond traditional advertising and product placement.

Revealed at "Inside microdramas" in Singapore, the slate allows brands to integrate products into existing properties, become part of story worlds, commission new formats or develop original entertainment IP as the companies look to position mobile-first vertical storytelling as a new avenue for branded entertainment.

The lineup spans established microdrama genres including romance, billionaire and CEO fantasies, revenge and thriller-mystery formats, while also branching into talent competitions, reality formats and other original concepts.

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Among the properties are "Oops, I married my bestie's brother!", which follows a drunken Las Vegas wedding and hidden identity; "My sweetheart's a gangster", centred on a village doctor who falls for a mob boss; and "From janitor to Mrs. billionaire", which follows a janitor who unknowingly marries a billionaire who turns out to be her boss.

The slate also includes Korean webtoon and web novel properties from CJ Group's Shortnapse that are being positioned for adaptation into vertical formats. These include "Idol once again", about a failed idol who gets another chance at debut after returning to his 19-year-old body, and succession drama "The exclusive secretary".

Meanwhile, original IP developed around participation, competition and suspense includes fitness competition "1% better", mystery talent show concept "The vanishing act" and "Fortune chasers", in which contestants believe they are playing the market without realising they are the ones being traded.

The companies said the slate has been structured to allow brands to participate at different levels, ranging from product integration within existing properties to commissioning formats and developing IP of their own.

"For too long, branded entertainment has treated content as promotion: something bought on the media plan that disappears when the campaign ends," said David Webster, chairman of V47 Entertainment.

"We're bringing brands into the writers' room, not just the media plan, so they can shape the story while it's still being written and hold a real position in what it becomes," he added.

Webster said the properties have also been developed with franchise potential in mind, with the aim of allowing marketing investment to contribute towards entertainment assets that can continue beyond an individual campaign.

Alongside the slate, V47 Entertainment, COL Group and VIRTUE Asia unveiled "Story engine", an end-to-end operating model aimed at bringing their respective capabilities together for brands looking to enter the space.

Under the model, VIRTUE Asia will handle cultural strategy, brand integration and content production, while V47 Entertainment will focus on entertainment development and investment. COL Group will bring its genre expertise and distribution capabilities.

Timothy Oh, group global chief marketing officer and general manager of COL Group International, said the company sees an opportunity for brands to move beyond traditional advertising and become part of entertainment audiences actively choose to consume.

"By bringing together our genre expertise and international distribution network with the creative strengths of V47 and VIRTUE, we're helping brands develop original entertainment IP that can build lasting audience connections and grow across platforms and markets," he added.

For Lesley John, CEO at VIRTUE Asia, the opportunity also requires brands to rethink how they approach their place within entertainment. She noted: 

Brands can no longer rely on interrupting culture to get noticed, they need to earn their place in it.

"Our role is to bring those worlds together – translating cultural insight into creative integration that feels native to the story and adds value to the audience experience, not just visibility for the brand," she added.

The push comes as other media players in Singapore experiment with microdramas as a way to bring brands deeper into entertainment and connect storytelling with commercial outcomes. Mediacorp recently launched its first "shoppertainment" microdrama, "LOVE Angels", a 20-episode series combining its storytelling, talent, radio, television, social and commerce capabilities. Products are written into the narrative, with pathways allowing viewers to move from watching to purchasing.

Meanwhile, Singtel and SPH Media have also turned to episodic storytelling with "CONNECTED", a 24-episode horror-comedy series developed by SPH Content Lab and sponsored by Singtel. Marking SPH Media's first microdrama IP, the series draws on Singaporean ghost stories and local folklore, combining supernatural elements, humour and AI-powered effects.

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