Can China's hugely popular mini dramas find success in the US and other markets?
Southeast Asia and beyond.
The productions going overseas include translated Chinese dramas and original ones made with local teams.
The push comes as Beijing urges more mainland productions to improve the quality of on-air content. A document released on Monday said
more support would be given for 'outstanding micro and short series to be broadcast on TV'.
What is a mini drama?
The dramas run just a few minutes per episode, and feature fast-paced storylines and frequent twists meant to capture eyeballs. A series can span more than 50 episodes, and many are filmed vertically for easier mobile phone viewing.
Themes and storylines commonly revolve around billionaires, romance, revenge or Cinderella-like rags-to-riches journeys. Social media apps Kuaishou, RedNote, Douyin and video-streaming platform Bilibili are some of the more popular platforms.
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Mini dramas first emerged in China in 2018 after
TikTok 's debut. Other platforms also rapidly drew young viewers accustomed to scrolling for trending videos.
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