Making sense of microdrama mania

China may be the epicentre of the global microdrama wave, but the frenzy is spilling rapidly across the rest of the region and beyond. Platforms, producers, creators, brands and boardrooms are scrambling to stake their claim in the biggest content phenomenon emerging from Asia since Squid Game.

Microdrama could well become – if it isn’t already – Asia’s biggest cultural export. The statistics are staggering, the forecasts are irresistible, and the stories are increasingly engineered to capture the world’s highest-paying audiences, currently in North and Latin America.

For the first six months of this year, the US commanded a 40% share of overall revenues from microdrama apps, according to ad analysis platform SocialPeta, followed by Japan, Brazil and Indonesia. The US also tops downloads of microdrama apps (outside of China), but India, Indonesia and Brazil are also showing promising growth, says Anne Chan, co-founder and chief executive of Hong Kong-based microdrama producer AR Asia Productions.

Analysts expect the global microdrama market to reach upwards of $7bn (£5bn) by the end of the year, while 2024 estimates put mainland China’s market alone at around RMB50.5bn (£5.2bn), according to a group of domestic entities, including the Shenzhen Radio, Film and Television Group and the China Television Drama Production Industry Association. And it’s not likely to stop there.

The 2024 China Micro-Short Drama Industry Research Report – produced by Shenzhen Media Group, the Audiovisual Arts Research Center at the Communication University of China and the China Television Drama Production Industry Association – predicts a compound annual growth rate of more than 19% for the genre to RMB63.4bn (£6.6bn) in 2025 and RMB85.6bn (£8.9bn) in 2027.

Investment in microdrama in 2024 was estimated to be RMB33bn (£3.4bn) and this year it could hit RMB39.6bn (£4.1bn), rising to RMB43.6bn (£4.5bn) in 2026. And while the market outside of China is smaller, it is growing much faster. The current estimate of $4bn-$5bn (£3bn-£3.7bn) is projected to rise to $10bn (£7.4bn) in five years.

Clearly, the sector is not short of compelling numbers, and everyone wants a stake, even the Chinese government.

On 19 August, the country’s National Radio and Television Administration announced the 2025 International Micro-Short Competition. In an official notice to, among others, the radio and television bureaus of all provinces, the agency said the competition aimed to “fully leverage the unique effectiveness of [short-form/microdrama] in international communication… and to tell Chinese stories to the world”.

The contest opened on the same day that the 25-year-old China-listed COL Group announced its new international distribution division, based in Beijing and Singapore.

The reorganisation of separate rights entities into one brings together more than 1,000 titles, available in English and Chinese, with blockbuster microdramas such as the 105-episode historical epic Rags To Rank One, Say You Remember, Say You Love (pictured top) and Billionaire Playboy’s Replacement Bride available to buyers.

While the revenue potential of microdrama may raise interest, so too will the viewing figures. COL, which operates microdrama platforms FlareFlow, Sereal+ and Japan’s Unireel, says Rags To Rank One had more than 238 million views (watching for between seven and 10 seconds, depending on platform) in a single day and averaged 77 minutes of watch time per user, ultimately surpassing 1 billion cumulative views in China alone.

On Sereal+, which is available globally, Say You Remember, Say You Love has had 323.2 million views and Billionaire Playboy’s Replacement Bride has had 630.4 million (as of mid-August 2025).

“Insight and agility are an advantage in a space where audience attention is won or lost in seconds”
Timothy Oh, COL Group

Announcing the new distribution unit, COL’s South-East Asia operations general manager Timothy Oh highlighted the advantage of “insight and agility” in a space where “audience attention is won or lost in seconds”.

At the same time as building its microdrama muscle, COL Group is taking a victory lap for its long-form titles, highlighting its creative and production range. The most recent is China box-office hit The Legend Of Hei 2, and the company used the announcement of international theatrical deals to talk about “the creative heart” of mainland animation and the ability of Chinese storytellers to tap themes that “resonate across cultures”.

COL’s multi-format expansion model is becoming a common story across the region. Traditional broadcasters, content platforms and producers from Indonesia and Singapore to Malaysia and India are adding microdramas to their existing slates.

“Every territory has its own nuance and culture, and no one exclusively owns the space”
Virginia Lim, MediaCorp

But while emulating the cliffhanger perfected in Chinese microdramas, producers are infusing their series with their own flavours, tones and storytelling signatures.

“We are competing in a different space,” says Virginia Lim, chief content officer of Singapore’s largest media platform, Mediacorp. “Every territory has its own nuance and culture, and no one exclusively owns the space. microdrama is just a format; we all have our own creativity and stories to offer.”

One example of Mediacorp’s output is workplace romance On The Line, a 10-part drama (episodes last between one minute and 1 minute 45 seconds) about young Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers. It attracted 7.8 million views and about 58,000 likes on TikTok from its release at the end of June to 20 August – in a country of approximately 6 million people.

Regional nuance

Mediacorp – which has 778,000 subscribers to its YouTube drama channel, 547,000 subs to its YouTube entertainment channel and 253,400 TikTok followers – has also experimented with short-form extensions of long-form originals. The platform’s first English-language microdrama, Sunny Side Up: Break The Silence, leverages long-form IP – daily drama Sunny Side Up – and incorporates a message that highlights domestic violence among younger generations.

Also in Singapore, listed production house GHY Culture and Media Holding Co has resurrected its short-form ambitions after a few years, announcing production agreements in July with mainland Chinese streamer iQiyi for microdrama versions of library properties Strange Legend Of Tang Dynasty and The Ferry Man: 10th Anniversary. Both are in post-production. GHY says it has identified short-form drama as a “strategic opportunity”.

“We had already been producing short-bite content from our long-form dramas, so vertical microdrama was a natural progression”
Nini Yusof, Media Prima Television

In neighbouring Malaysia, the country’s largest free-TV broadcaster, Media Prima Television Networks, and sister production house Primeworks Studios are well into building out their microdrama futures. Two vertical/microdramas are in the can, and several more are in the pipeline, says Nini Yusof, chief executive of both companies.

“As the home of blockbuster Malay dramas, we had already been producing short-bite content from our long-form dramas, so moving into vertical microdrama was a natural progression,” she says. The biggest challenge is compressing a compelling plot into 60 seconds, she notes.

The first title, Benci Jadi Cinta, was followed by brand-funded TikTok exclusive drama Keluarga Antara Insan, co-produced by TV3 and Samsung Malaysia. Both echo the sharp hooks, emotional highs and cliff hangers of blockbuster mobile-first Chinese titles.

Released in December 2024, Benci Jadi Cinta (20 x 2 minutes) streamed on TikTok’s Drama Sangat channel as well as on Media Prima’s own digital platform, Tonton. The series about an unlikely friendship, timed for Ramadan, has had more than 4.6 million video views to date across platforms.

Keluarga Antara Insan (10 x 3 minutes) launched in March and had attracted 2.5 million TikTok views a week after its release, demonstrating resonance with younger audiences and validating the power of branded content in this format, Yusof says.

These follow branded short-form drama Mocha Kau Bahagia, which was made for broadcast TV in 2017. The four-episode love story, produced by McCafé (McDonald’s Malaysia) with Media Prima, aired on Malaysia’s largest free-TV channel, TV3, highlighting the brand-funded roots of short-form drama.

“We’ve also amplified these stories through our TV content and across social media platforms, ensuring both loyal viewers and new audiences have multiple touchpoints,” Yusof says.

While the growing popularity of short-form drama is inescapable, the profi t potential of this emergent genre is still developing. Spending on microdramas varies widely, depending not least on where they are being produced, with series coming out of China tending to lie at the more cost-efficient end of the spectrum. Ballpark production budgets in the country at present are estimated to range from RMB500,000 (£52,000) up to RMB2m (£208,000) per series of 50-60 episodes.

This is, however, much lower than the sums being talked about in the US, where a budget typically ranges from $150,000 (£110,000) to $200,000 (£148,000), with the highest end topping $300,000 (£220,000), for 80 minutes’ worth of episodes. And, as the genre develops, that is likely to increase. Producers say the commissioning process for most platforms is straightforward, although most shoots tend to last only around 10 days.

Viewer engagement

While microdrama economics in South-East Asia are still a work in progress, consumers’ mobile engagement is undeniable.

Platforms’ hunt for revenue and subscriber retention tactics is relentless and the benefit of adding a micro angle to the corporate/investor growth narrative outweighs the risks, including the short lifespan of a microdrama and oversaturation.

AR Asia Productions, which distributes turnkey apps as well as content, is working with telecommunications companies “to develop more sustainable and attractive packages that bundle these apps with other offerings,” Chan says.

“The dynamics of microdrama distribution aren’t vastly different from long-form content”
Anne Chan, AR Asia Productions

She also talks about the necessity of creating compelling value propositions, given the much shorter shelf life of microdramas. This includes curating customised slates. Themes such as love stories, time travel, overcoming adversity and chief executive-driven narratives are particularly well-received in Asia, Chan says.

“For instance, Asian platforms often show a strong interest in Chinese shows, while Western clients tend to prefer English-language content that resonates with their cultural context,” she says. Other than that, she notes, “the dynamics of microdrama distribution aren’t vastly diff erent from long-form content”.

In Indonesia, leading telco Telkomsel added privately owned Chinese microdrama app ShortMax to its platform in July in an AR Asia Productions-brokered deal. Telkomsel bundles the app with 1GB of data for a little over Rp35,600 (£1.60) for seven days, and Rp78,000 (£3.53, including 8GB of data) for 30 days. The telco, which also offers the FlexTV microdrama app, has hinted at local Indonesian production of short-form dramas to “enrich the range of quality entertainment content”.

Announcing its new bundle in July, Telkomsel said the premium offering, which includes shows like Move Aside! I’m The Ex Beyond Your Reach and 20 Years Younger, 100% Hotter, demonstrated its commitment to “continuously providing the best service for customers through relevant and value-added digital product innovations”.

AR Asia has also signed distribution deals for apps and content with Indonesian streaming platform Vidio, Thailand’s True Corp’s TrueVisions Now, and telcos in Malaysia and Thailand.

In Malaysia, Celcom Digi now offers Playlet, home to The Mayor’s XXL Wife: Her Stunning Return, while in Thailand, telco AIS has picked up ShortMax, whose line-up includes werewolf romance Forbidden Desires: Alpha’s Love. Launched in June this year, ShortMax is now a headline feature in AIS’s mega entertainment bundle, which also includes the Premier League and top-tier OTT services.

“Telecom companies in Asia are actively monitoring download metrics and exploring new package options,” Chan says. “The model where viewers are initially drawn in through social media and then directed to apps for more content has proved effective in capturing attention and fostering engagement.”

She points to Thailand’s TrueVisions, which offers bundled short- and long-form access for THB99 (£2.26) a month. Chan says this is an example of how combining microdramas with long-form content can cater to consumer preferences while maintaining affordability.

“This kind of pricing strategy can help attract a broader audience, especially in markets where budget constraints are a significant consideration,” she says.

At this point, indie producers in the region have either turned up their noses or are already well on their way to figuring out how to make microdrama series for next to nothing, while hoping for bigger budgets – eventually.

AI is also already playing a role: COL is exploring the future of content creation through AI-powered production pipelines, and AI-generated anime series have been developed, the company says. Many long-form creators are dismissive of some of the microdrama themes, characters and plots, and are sceptical of the real IP value.

They’re also put off by low budgets, tiny margins, high volume and quick turnarounds. Producers talk about writing an entire series in fi ve days and completing the shoot in two weeks.

Creative opportunities

But, like producer, director and writer Sharad Sharan in Indonesia, they’re also fascinated by audience engagement data and the creative opportunities of vertical video. Sharan calls microdrama “a powerful new frontier in storytelling” and “a complete emotional experience in just one minute”.

They are, he adds, “more than a trend – they are a new language of entertainment, ideal for mobile-fi rst audiences and brand partners alike”.

As part of 22-year-old Jakarta-based production house Sinemart, Sharan wrote, produced and directed the 75-episode Indonesian series Pura Pura Nikah (My Fake Wedding) for streaming platform Vidio. His film production credits include Malaysia’s record-breaking theatrical feature Ombak Rindu, about an orphan girl sold into prostitution to settle her uncle’s debts.

In Korea, too, producers and platform developers are embracing the shorter format. “Like most producers, I believe that new technologies and approaches are opportunities rather than threats,” says Jin Woo Hwang, co-founder, executive producer and president of format agency Something Special. “However, the important point is that, including myself, long-form producers are not familiar with compressed narratives.”

And while viewers in the US and elsewhere may now be gobbling up microdramas by the minute, such appetite has not always been apparent. Quibi – the short-form, mobile-focused service launched by former Walt Disney Studios chair Jeffrey Katzenberg – lasted barely two years before shuttering in 2020, albeit with far higher production overheads.

Growing UK interest

It feels, however, that the microdrama market is in a much different place, certainly with regard to show budgets and its ability to filter through to younger views. And execs around the world working on more traditional outlets are watching closely.

BritBox senior vice-president of group editorial and content Jon Farrar recently admitted that he expects microdramas to start being produced out of the UK in large numbers in the next six months, as interest in vertical scripted grows, adding that the company is “looking at this with interest and trying to get a sense of the viability of it and if it is an area we want to play in”.

“It is not clear in the UK market where the supply is in any great volume, but I expect that will change over the next six months and there will be a tidal wave, but we’re not there yet,” he said at the Edinburgh TV Festival. “We’re on the sidelines looking at it with interest.”

Beverley McGarvey, president of Australia’s Network 10 and head of streaming and regional lead at Paramount ANZ, says there have been “lots of conversations” around microdramas in her country too, particularly given its geographical proximity to the genre’s hotbed.

“It is interesting. Everyone is looking at [microdramas] but how do you actually make them work?” she asks. “You still have to invest in them, but how do you monetise them? Is it a marketing exercise at this point? We’re open to all those things but we haven’t quite yet nailed what comes next.”

“If you look at the demographic of vertical viewers, it makes sense that there should be a vertical micro Love Island”
Jonathan Glazier, formats creator

The possibility of format adaptations of successful titles for individual markets is certainly on the table, while the rapid emergence of native vertical formats is not likely to stop at scripted. Veteran UK-based format creator and former head of formats and entertainment at the BBC Jonathan Glazier says he is already in active development with shows.

“If you look at the demographic of vertical viewers, it makes sense that there should be a vertical micro Love Island,” he says, referencing the hit ITV Studios format. “Not clips, but reality formats designed for micro vertical video.”

He adds that such content is ideal for brand funding.

While the “tidal wave” might not yet have been fully realised in some countries, the direction of travel for vertical content is clear.