[The Guru=Reporter Hong Sung IL] In China, where TikTok (known locally as Douyin) has created a global short-form content craze, even dramas, traditionally long-form content, are produced in short-form. The short-form drama market is rapidly expanding and showing signs of profitability.
On the 22nd, KOTRA’s Chongqing Trade Center introduced the current state and prospects of China’s short-form drama market through the report “In China, the Trend in Dramas is Short-Form.”
The first appearance of online short-form dramas in China was in 2018. In 2020, the Chinese National Radio and Television Administration incorporated online short-form dramas into the legal system by adding them to the video content review system. According to the administration, a short-form drama is ‘an internet viewing program with episodes lasting from several seconds to about 15 minutes, having a clear theme and main storyline, and a continuous and complete story structure.’
The rapid growth of online short-form dramas in China began in 2022. The Chinese online short-form drama market grew by 176% in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching a market size of approximately $1.42 billion. In 2023, the growth accelerated by 268%, with the market size reaching approximately $5.23 billion. Due to the rapid growth so far, it is projected to grow by 35% in 2024.
The primary audience for online short-form dramas is Generation Z, ranging from 15 to 29 years old, accounting for about 64.8%.
The leading platforms for broadcasting Chinese online short-form dramas are Douyin, TikTok’s Chinese service, Kuaishou, and Youku. The most popular genre was romance, followed by story, period drama, urban, mystery, fantasy, and comedy, in that order.
As the online short-form drama market rapidly grows, the quality of content is also gradually improving. Additionally, revenue models are diversifying. The 2024 Chinese short-form drama market is expected to see trends like subject matter diversification, content quality enhancement, and integration with other content types.
KOTRA’s Chongqing Trade Center stated, “Our content companies, which have strengths in cultural content areas such as dramas and variety shows, are expected to be competitive in the Chinese short-form drama field as well.” They added, “For consumer goods companies hoping to enter China, short-form drama combined with e-commerce or live commerce could be explored as a new online marketing strategy.
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