Latest news with #ChinaNetcastingServicesAssociation
CNBC
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNBC
How China's $7 billion micro drama industry is taking on the U.S. entertainment industry
Micro dramas, known for wild plots and vertical, bite-sized videos, made headlines in China in 2024 as the industry surpassed the country's box-office revenue for the first time. The micro drama market exceeded 50 billion yuan, or about $6.9 billion, according to the China Netcasting Services Association, a state-controlled group that regulates China's online audiovisual content. "In the states, you have the soap opera 'The Bold and The Beautiful.' And it's 'The Bold and The Beautiful' on steroids, basically," said Anne Chan, founder and CEO of AR Asia Production. "You've got to have a cliffhanger at every minute versus every hour. So everything is sweet, short and sharp." Micro dramas, also known as in Chinese, typically consist of episodes ranging from 90 seconds to two minutes long. They initially gained popularity in China after capitalizing on the short-form video trend from other short-video apps in the country. "It all started with Douyin and also Kuaishou as they started pushing these vertical short dramas on their platforms," said Ashley Dudarenok, founder and managing director of Hong Kong-based consultant firm ChoZan. "Especially 2020, 2021, during the pandemic, dramas grew rapidly." Experts say micro dramas appeal to consumers with fast-paced, addictive storylines that deliver instant emotional payoff in just minutes. Their short, bingeable format caters to the attention spans of today's mobile-first audience, making them easy to watch anytime, anywhere. "They're tapping into the behavior of instant gratification," said Seema Shah, vice president of research and insights at market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. "The way that you immediately are satisfied by seeing this story is what is the hook. It's a little over the top, but it's over the top that is still entertaining." Micro dramas are also gaining popularity in the U.S. ReelShort, DramaBox and GoodShort were the top downloaded micro drama apps in the U.S., accounting for about 50% of downloads year to date in 2025, according to data shared with CNBC by Sensor Tower. "Many micro drama producers believe because America produced Hollywood and is probably the world's largest cultural export, if you can sell it to and make it appealing to the American public, you can then sell it and make it appealing to the rest of the world," said Dudarenok. Watch the video above to find out what is behind the popularity of China's micro dramas, and whether the nearly $7 billion industry can become China's next big cultural export to disrupt the U.S. entertainment industry.
South China Morning Post
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
China's addictive micro-dramas show how commercial demand is fuelling a netcasting boom
China's online video and audio industry, especially lucrative micro-dramas, is expanding its influence both domestically and abroad, with the market size surging to 1.22 trillion yuan (US$168 billion) last year, according to officials and industry insiders. Advertisement The industry saw its market size grow by 6.1 per cent, year on year, as it became a formidable force for job creation, with a record 757,000 companies operating, the China Netcasting Services Association (CNSA) said in a report during an ongoing industry forum in Chengdu. 'Micro-dramas have become a new growth pillar for China's online audio and video industry, with their influence abroad significantly increasing,' Cao Shumin, director of the National Radio and Television Administration, said on Thursday at the China Internet Audio and Video Convention. The so-called netcasting industry is 'one of the most innovative, fast-developing, and high-potential fields in China, with new business models constantly emerging', said Cao, adding that it will 'undoubtedly play an increasingly important role' in improving the nation's cultural soft power. A form of digital media, but different than traditional broadcasting, netcasting involves creating and delivering audio or video online, including downloadable content, such as those micro-dramas, and live streaming. Cao Shumin, director of the National Radio and Television Administration, spoke on Thursday at the China Internet Audio and Video Convention in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Photo: Handout China-made micro-dramas, often lasting just a few minutes for quick consumption, have gained traction overseas, including in the United States, where platforms such as ReelShort are offering English-language content based on Chinese production.
