According to the Wireline magazine, micro-short dramas, such as virus-based global social media, are designed for the smartphone stand-up model for one to two minutes each, often full of dramatic and dramatic twists, such as two generations of love for nannys, wife vengeful husbands, etc. Such low-cost dramas are attracting hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, while generating a multi-billion-dollar industry.
The industry is large and growing rapidly. According to industry estimates, the market value of China ‘ s mini-shortshow was approximately $3.7 billion in 2023 and is expected to double by 2027. Its audience is alarming, with some 350 million Chinese users regularly watching. They are usually distributed through platforms such as micro-intelligence or shivering.
The core of the micro-short play is to provide immediate satisfaction, and the industry belongs to what is known as a “favorite point” — that is, an orgasm that can quickly trigger a strong emotion among the audience. The producer is familiar with this path and usually starts a fee mode after the previous episode, and the audience has to pay a small fee to unlock the follow-up play or buy a monthly set. The total cost of a full set could be dozens of people.
The production cycle is extremely short-lived. A 100-episode episode can be filmed and produced later in just one week. The script is usually produced by AI-aided, following a high-format formulaic scenario template to ensure that it continues to produce “fine points” that the audience loves. It is often done on low-cost exterior sites or on a ready-made video base.
The micro-short play industry has created a complex ecosystem: the production company is responsible for creating scripts, filming and producing. The distributor buys a film and attracts viewers through social media platforms with advertisements, such as micro-intelligence programs, shivering, etc., which provide and extracts from the play and payment interfaces (sometimes up to 90 per cent of income). Advertisers place advertisements before or after the show is suspended. The giants, such as telecommunications and byte beats (the shivering parent company), are the core players that support the operation of the entire industry through their vast user base and payment systems.
The explosive growth of the microtrip and the downside of some of the content (involving violence, friction or historical distortions) have also caused problems. At the end of 2023, the National General Directorate of Radio and Television carried out a special overhaul that resulted in hundreds of minor non-compliance procedures and thousands of micro-short plays, while requiring the Platform to strengthen its content review.
The short drama in China has targeted the global market. The ReelShort application, which is the main offshore platform, uses a similar vertical short play model, but the content is mainly localized for European and American audiences. The main hit was on the familiar werewolves, vampires and Haomen grievances of Western audiences, where European and American actors were launched, using English for white, some of the dramas were filmed in China and some were produced overseas.
ReelShort has had some success in markets such as the United States and has been on the app store entertainment list. ReelShort stated that approximately $70 million was earned in the last quarter of 2023.
Despite the good start, the short play is still a challenge. Given the different cultural backgrounds of different countries, it is difficult to transpose the “hot points” model successfully and the cost of overseas production is much higher than that of mainland China. There is also a need to compete with mature platforms like Netflix, YouTube and TikTok’s own short video content. The willingness of overseas users to pay may differ from domestic audiences, and the challenges of content review may be faced in overseas markets.
The mini-short show represents a major innovation and commercialization success in the digital entertainment industry in China. It has created a vast market of billions of dollars, using the widespread availability of smartphones, efficient production models and accurate perceptions of audience psychology. Although the country is faced with a tight regulatory regime, its trip to the sea has demonstrated the ambition of China to globalize its entertainment model. However, the ability to replicate domestic success overseas and to overcome cultural, cost and competitive barriers will be key to determining whether this “small screen” boom can truly sweep the globe.
