Chinese Micro Drama phenomenon has jumped 100 billion yuan into the global market

While TV dramas are in a slump due to the influx of streaming, this phenomenon has made a big impact in China, with a short drama called Micro Drama, which has become a cultural phenomenon that not only entertains Chinese audiences but also makes a lot of money for the entertainment industry by exporting to make money from abroad as well.

According to Nikkei Asia on December 8, 2024, China’s mini-drama, or micro drama only a few minutes long, has continued to gain popularity in China. The Chinese short-drama market will likely grow 35% YOY in 2024, contributing to the growth of the film and film industry to meet the increasing demand.

In 2024, China’s short-drama market is estimated at 48.4 billion yuan (approximately 227,035 million baht) and is expected to grow exponentially. The research company, iResearch, predicts that the market value will double by 2028.

The main characteristic of micro-drama is that it is a drama that is different from the original drama which usually lasts about 40 minutes to 1 hour, but nowadays micro-drama dramas are only 1-20 minutes long, which meets the audience’s time limit and need tight entertainment without wasting much time.

The most popular genres are romance and time travel. The interesting micro-drama strategy, although it is a short drama, creates a desire to follow the audience by creating several climax periods in one video, including charging more if the audience wants to watch the next episode. As a result, viewers who want to watch the next episode will have to pay to watch the rest.

Leading companies have turned to micro dramas as a marketing tool. Even global brands such as Starbucks and McDonald’s have launched their own short series, which has received positive responses, with a significant increase in followers.

The growth of micro dramas reflects changes in media consumption behavior in the digital age. People need fast and interesting content, said Chen Pin, producer at Seying Group. The rush of life allows people to spend less time on long dramas. Micro dramas are also available for short production costs and low budgets. This makes it easier for them to achieve their commercial goals and create a complete business cycle.

In addition to domestic, Chinese micro dramas are expanding rapidly, according to Xinhua, U.S. mobile application data analysis firm Sensor Tower found that more than 40 micro drama applications have entered foreign markets. As of early 2024, there have been nearly 55 million downloads and about 170 purchases of the app approximately 170 million dollars (around 5,800 million baht)

China’s micro-drama application overseas is expected to grow to 51 billion baht in 2024. The popularity is boosted by the existing Chinese online novel readership, which has led to investors’ interest in converting online novels into micro drama to serve overseas markets.

However, this growth comes with rigorous monitoring by platforms and government agencies, Nikkei Asia notes that these micro dramas must be monitored by platforms used for posting, or may be monitored by local government or federal agencies, depending on the size of each micro drama production to control the quality and suitability of its content.