(Yicai ) Dec. 8 -- Overseas revenue from Chinese micro-dramas has tripled in the first eight months of the year from a year earlier, according to the latest industry report by the China Netcasting Services Association.

Chinese micro-dramas generated USD1.5 billion in overseas revenue in the eight months ended Aug. 31, according to the 2025 Micro-Drama Industry Ecosystem Insight Report released at the inaugural Micro-Drama Screenwriting Summit on Dec. 5. Ninety percent of the world's top 20 mini drama apps by revenue were backed by Chinese companies.

The rapid rise of Chinese micro-dramas in overseas markets stems from the country's highly industrialized production capacity and quality upgrades forged through cutthroat domestic competition.

China's micro-drama industry generated CNY50 billion (USD6.9 billion) in revenue in the first eight months of the year, exceeding traditional cinema box office takings in the period, data from the report showed.

"For the traditional film and television industry, we say 'it takes 10 years to forge a sword,'" said Yu Li, executive deputy secretary-general of the Micro-Drama Committee under the CNSA. "But for 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 extremely popular in North America.

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

In terms of content strategy, Chinese micro-drama firms going global have moved beyond simple translation and replication. Werewolf-focused series have become very popular overseas, Nan noted. Since the first werewolf mini drama broke out in 2023, multiple similar stories have performed exceptionally well, he explained.

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

Other Chinese companies, including Dianzhong Technology, have also confirmed these trends, as they are rapidly developing localized micro-drama scripts in English, South Korean, and other languages about universal themes, such as revenge-driven female leads and family reunion stories.

This accelerated overseas expansion by Chinese micro-drama production firms is also fostering adjacent industries, such as gaming and novels. For example, Nan said that after their micro-drama Found by Owner went viral, sales of the original book on Amazon boomed, pushing it into the top 50.

Policy Support

At the Micro-Drama Screenwriting Summit, the CNSA and Shanghai's Pudong New Area signed a cooperation agreement to establish China's first industrial hub dedicated to helping local micro-drama series 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, first-level inspector at the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism (Shanghai Municipal Radio and Television Bureau). "We are designing a new round of policies to further empower the city's micro-drama industry development."

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 nationally-awarded works, and fiscal incentives for intellectual property adaptations.

Moreover, the district will facilitate visa processing, work permit issuing, and salary settlement for overseas micro-drama staff, release subsidies for companies participating in international exhibitions, and promote innovative financing to inject capital into supply chain enterprises.

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

For investors and practitioners, micro-dramas have evolved from a traffic frenzy into a mature industry with precise division of labor and globalized operations, according to analysts. In this new ecosystem, only creators who understand both algorithms and human nature can truly unlock the value of this goldmine.

China's Domestic Micro-Dramas

The Chinese micro-drama industry has created more than 1.3 million production jobs, with related talent demand up 26 percent in the first three quarters of the year from a year earlier, the report showed.

This has formed a complete job matrix covering scriptwriters, directors, and operations and distribution, making it a high-potential employment track in the audiovisual sector.

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

More critically, professional talent has entered the field, improving production standards. Seventy percent to 80 percent of traditional film and television 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 over 80 percent of micro-dramas this year achieving high-definition or superior quality standards.

Editor: Futura Costaglione