China's micro-dramas a screen saver for film world

Global phenomenon

Originating in China, vertical short and micro-dramas are taking the world by storm. According to a recent report released by London-based technology research and advisory firm Omdia, micro-dramas — short, serialized stories typically running around two to three minutes per episode — are projected to generate $11 billion in global revenue by 2025.

The Chinese market constitutes a major part of worldwide revenue, but big expansion is expected in the United States, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil and Thailand.

In the first half of this year, the US has led international markets outside China in revenue generation and downloads of micro-drama apps, according to a global market report released by advertising intelligence platform SocialPeta.

The growth is being driven by a strong consumer willingness to pay, a high business value, a mature entertainment consumption environment and high-income levels.

After the US, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and other regions in Southeast Asia and Latin America have led micro-drama app downloads in the first half of this year.

The increased downloads are mainly due to the high availability of the internet and large groups of young people demanding relaxing micro-dramas that cater to a fragmented, fast-paced life, the report said.

The rapid growth of app downloads also indicates the massive opportunities in a number of sectors associated with the booming trend.

Gaisin and Judy are booking jobs nationwide and around the world, and experience a surge of pride when their relatives or friends randomly recognize their performances on mobile phones and TVs.

Karen Teo, Google's vice-president of platforms and devices partnerships in the Asia Pacific, said at this year's Google I/O Connect China event in Shanghai: "In terms of data (on our platforms such as Google Play), the exciting thing from last year is that we can unlock the new category for drama shorts, which originated from China and we have seen really trending upward globally. It is not just a China experience, but also a shared trend in other markets. It has really created a global phenomenon for us."