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| China’s ‘Instant Drama’ Gold Rush Hits a Wall as Kuaishou Shuts Down Mini Programs (PCHome) |
Once hyped as the future of bite-sized entertainment and a new cash cow for digital storytelling, the format now faces an abrupt shutdown. The announcement, first reported by Sohu, comes hot on the heels of renewed public backlash—mainly sparked by a bizarre mini drama where the female lead gives birth to 99 babies. Yep. You read that right.
Related: Short Drama with '99 Babies in One Pregnancy' Plot Goes Viral.
🚨 Why Is This a Big Deal?
Kuaishou is no small player. As China's second-largest short video platform after Douyin (TikTok's Chinese twin), it's massive in lower-tier cities and rural markets, where people devour everything from lip-sync videos to livestream e-commerce—and, until now, fast-paced micro dramas.
But drama inside mini programs (those lightweight apps that live inside bigger apps like Kuaishou or WeChat) has spiralled a bit out of control.
💸 From Gold Rush to Backlash
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| Kuaishou Short Dramas |
It all kicked off with success stories like Wushuang, a WeChat mini program drama that raked in over 100 million yuan in just eight days back in 2023.
That kind of money got producers buzzing—and copycats sprouting like mushrooms. Within months, the platforms were swamped with ultra-short dramas, often less than two minutes per episode.
But here’s the problem:
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The plots were wild (and not in a good way).
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The acting and production? Hit or miss—mostly miss.
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A lot of these dramas glorified violence, unhealthy relationships, or just plain nonsense.
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And let’s not forget the sneaky monetisation tactics—watch 3 episodes free, then start getting pinged for micro-payments. It was a wallet trap in disguise.
By late 2023, both Kuaishou and Douyin started tightening the screws, banning non-compliant shows and launching clean-up operations. Last week, Kuaishou and WeChat reportedly took down over 100 illegal dramas and slapped penalties on 90+ accounts.
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🤔 So, What’s Actually Getting Shut Down?
Just the mini program dramas. The kind where you tap into an app-within-an-app and start watching episodic stories built to get you hooked—and then paying. Those are gone.
Short dramas posted directly to Kuaishou’s main feed? Still kicking. These native uploads, usually more polished and studio-backed, are still being pushed as part of the platform’s long-term content strategy.
📉 End of the Instant Era?
This move shows how fast China’s digital content landscape is maturing. The mini program drama model—once praised for its monetisation genius—is now considered outdated and problematic. What started as a quick cash grab turned into a regulatory headache.
Instead of letting third-party developers flood users with unfiltered content, platforms like Kuaishou are pivoting back to quality control and studio-level collaborations. It's less chaotic, more sustainable—and way less embarrassing when stories about 99 babies go viral for all the wrong reasons.
Whether you saw it as genius or junk, the mini program drama craze definitely left a mark on Chinese internet culture. But with Kuaishou officially calling time on the format, it’s clear we’re entering a new era—one where platforms care a bit more about regulation, reputation, and long-term storytelling.
So long, wild-west dramas. Hello, quality micro-content (hopefully).