(Yicai ) Dec. 8 -- Chinese micro-dramas nearly tripled overseas revenue to USD1.5 billion in the January to August period from a year earlier, according to the latest industry report from the China Netcasting Services Association.

Ninety percent of the world's top 20 mini drama apps by revenue were backed by Chinese companies in the eight months ended Aug. 31, the 2025 Micro-Drama Industry Ecosystem Insight Report also said.

These short online dramas, usually just a couple of minutes long and running to around 100 episodes, have become hugely popular. The rapid rise of Chinese micro-dramas in overseas markets stems from the country's robust industrialized production capability and improved quality, shaped by cutthroat competition at home.

The domestic market for micro-dramas reached CNY50 billion (USD6.9 billion) in the same period, exceeding cinema box office takings, according to the report released at the inaugural Micro-Drama Screenwriting Summit on Dec. 5.

“In the film and television industry, we often say: ’It takes 10 years to forge a sword,'" said Yu Li, executive deputy secretary-general of the CNSA’s micro-drama committee. “But in the micro-drama industry, the saying has become: ‘It takes one year to forge 10 swords.’”

Industry leaders attended the summit to share their insights. Among them was Nan Yapeng, vice president of Crazy Maple Studio, a US internet content creation and distribution company backed by Chinese online publisher COL Digital Publishing Group. It owns ReelShort, a high-definition short-play platform that is extremely popular in North America.

"We can launch a new series every day, as we have a stable production capacity to do so," Nan said, adding that Crazy Maple has the largest industrialized production capacity for micro-dramas in North America.

In terms of content strategy, the Chinese micro-drama producers that are going global have moved beyond translation and replication. Werewolf-focused series have become very popular overseas, Nan noted. Since the first werewolf mini drama was released in 2023, many similar stories have performed exceptionally well, he noted.

Beyond traditional romantic series, youth campus-themed dramas incorporating “true princess and false heiress” elements have attracted large numbers of young foreign viewers, Nan pointed out.

Other Chinese companies such as Dianzhong Technology have also seized on this trend, as they are rapidly developing localized scripts in English, Korean, and other languages on universally relatable themes such as revenge-driven female leads or family reunions.

More importantly, China’s micro-drama studios are building a closed-loop ecosystem of “online literature + games + short dramas.” For example, Nan said that after his company’s drama Found by Owner went viral, sales of the original book on Amazon boomed, pushing it into the top 50.

Policy Support

At the summit, the CNSA and Shanghai's Pudong New Area signed an agreement to establish China's first industrial base dedicated to helping local micro-dramas expand overseas by resolving challenges such as intensified competition and rising production and distribution costs.

"Shanghai generates CNY7 billion (USD990.2 million) of the country's CNY50 billion micro-drama revenue," said Luo Yi, an official in the city’s culture and tourism administration. “We're designing a new round of policies to further empower development of the city's micro-drama industry."

Pudong New Area has introduced 10 targeted special policies directly addressing overseas expansion pain points. They include the issuance of subsidies for original works promoting traditional Chinese culture, rewards for works that win national awards, and financial incentives for intellectual property adaptations.

Moreover, the district will facilitate visa processing, work permit issuing, and salary settlement for overseas micro-drama staff, subsidize companies that take part in international expos, and push forward innovative financing to inject capital into supply chain enterprises.

Crazy Maple, Dianzhong Tech, and two other industry leaders have already signed deals to set up their overseas business headquarters in Pudong.

For investors and practitioners, micro-dramas have evolved from a traffic-driven craze into a mature industry with clear division of labor and globalized operations, according to analysts. In this new ecosystem, only creators that understand both algorithms and human psychology will be able to truly unlock the value of this goldmine.

The Home Industry

China’s micro-drama industry has created more than 1.3 million production jobs, with the demand for talent up 26 percent in the first three quarters of the year and forming a full-chain employment matrix covering scriptwriting, direction, operations, and distribution, making it a high-potential employment track in the audiovisual field, according to the report.

The average crew size for standard live-action micro-dramas reached 40 to 50 this year, a three- to four-fold increase from 2023, according to figures in the report.

More critically, professional talent has entered the field, improving production standards. Seventy percent to 80 percent of traditional film and TV practitioners have moved into micro-dramas, bringing rigorous processes and standards.

In terms of visual quality, the industry has completely abandoned its rough aesthetic, with more than 80 percent embracing high-definition or superior quality standards this year.

Editor: Futura Costaglione