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| From TikTok to Douyin: Short Dramas Now Rule Chinese Screens — And the World’s Next (Pics: Weibo/Douyin) |
China’s short drama boom ain’t just a phase anymore — it’s a full-blown revolution.
According to DataEye’s 2025H1 Short Drama Industry Report, as of June 2025, a whopping 696 million people in China — about 70% of the country’s total internet users — are tuning into short dramas. That’s 34 million more than just six months ago, clocking a 5.1% spike.
This isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan trend. It’s the new normal.
From Douyin binges on the bus to late-night scrolls through Kuaishou marathons, these bite-sized series — often no longer than a few minutes per episode — have become essential viewing, especially for younger audiences juggling fast-paced lifestyles.
ICYMI: 10 Most Popular Chinese Short Drama Actors
💸 Free-To-Watch Is King, Paid Content Is Crumbling
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| MGTV, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Kuaishou |
While the hype is real, the money tells the real story. The total short drama industry is expected to hit 634.3 billion yuan by the end of 2025, according to the 2024 industry report. By 2027? That figure could hit 856.5 billion, growing at a strong 19.2% annually.
A massive chunk of that growth is thanks to the IAA model (in-app advertising), which is powering the free-to-watch content boom. Free short dramas alone are already worth 350 billion yuan this year — a 40% jump from 2024 — and now make up more than half of the market.
On the flip side, the old IAP model (pay-to-watch) is losing steam. Paid drama viewership took a tumble, dropping 15.94% in the first half of 2025. Numbers slid from 19.27 billion to 15.97 billion views, and mini-program platforms are barely hanging on with just 50 million active viewers over six months.
10 Most-Watched Chinese Short Dramas on Douyin
📈 The Rise of Douyin, Kuaishou, and… Everyone Else
Short dramas on native platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou have gone full rocket-ship mode. From January to June, views surged from 323 billion to nearly 596 billion.
Even more insane? The number of creators skyrocketed from just over 1,000 to nearly 4,000, and the number of titles released more than doubled — from 10,671 to 27,414.
It’s not just about quantity, either. The quality’s gone up too, with top-tier production teams, creative plots, and rapid-fire editing styles now the norm.
👦👧 Who’s Watching? Young Lads, Mostly
One of the most interesting twists? For the first time, men now make up over 52% of the short drama viewer base. But it’s the under-40 crowd that’s fuelling this phenomenon — now accounting for more than 50% of all viewers. That’s up 15 points from just a year ago.
This younger crowd is pushing creators to experiment beyond the usual romance and slapstick comedy. Now you’ve got thrillers, fantasy, political satire, even historical epics all being crammed into 5–15 minute masterpieces.
🌍 Short Dramas Are Going Global—Even Without Subs
Clips from shows like Si Ye and Nian Nian You Ci are doing the rounds internationally on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Insta Reels. And guess what? Millions are watching—even without subtitles.
That raw emotional storytelling, high production polish, and addictive structure? It’s universal.
Studios are catching on, rolling out automatic subs, global-friendly pages, and even negotiating licensing deals with overseas platforms. If this trend keeps up, short dramas could become China’s next big cultural export — in the same league as K-pop and K-dramas.
🌟 Big Names, Big IPs—Now in Snackable Format
This isn’t just a playground for new creators anymore. A-listers and legacy titles are jumping in.
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Zhang Tian’ai and Tiger & Crane lead Jiang Long headline the fantasy-comedy short series Da Hua: A Chinese Odyssey, directed by Stephen Chow. The 24-part Douyin-exclusive became a surprise smash.
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Hu Lianxin returned in a short-form reboot of Princess Returning Pearl, playing an all-new take on Lin Suisui in a 30-ep fantasy comedy co-produced by Mango TV and Hunan TV.
Meanwhile, several big-name dramas are being reworked into mobile-first form:
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Ashes of Love is getting the short drama treatment.
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The Prisoner of Beauty is also set for a fast-paced adaptation.
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Hidden Love for You, a 24-ep spin-off of Hidden Love, dropped earlier this year before being pulled over copyright drama — but not before making waves.
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🎬 What It All Means: The Future's Short, Fast, and Global
This isn’t just a quirky side hustle anymore. Short dramas are redrawing the map of Chinese entertainment:
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📉 Production is cheaper, faster, and gives quicker returns.
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🎭 More doors are opening for actors, writers, and directors locked out of the long-form system.
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🧪 Genres are flourishing, free from the constraints of broadcast schedules and big-budget bottlenecks.
It’s official: short dramas are no longer just “mobile snacks” — they’re full-course meals in China’s content economy. And with global interest rising, it might not be long before you’re watching the next Ashes of Love or Under the Skin — in 10-minute episodes, on your phone, with a bag of crisps in hand.