When Jennifer Cooper stumbled upon her initial vertical drama on TikTok, she was immediately intrigued. The advertisement for a sensational series set the stage for a plot involving a woman seeking revenge on her cheating boyfriend and hostile family by seducing her boyfriend’s affluent uncle.
The themes of jealousy and romance in the series reminded Cooper of the Chinese dramas she had previously enjoyed. She eagerly watched the brief episodes before investing in the full story to see how it would unfold.
Ultimately, the protagonist found love and triumphed over her adversaries. This experience led Cooper to delve into reviewing and creating content about similar billionaire romances, authoritarian bosses, and vindictive vampires found on the platform.
Welcome to the realm of microdramas – exaggerated narratives presented in one- to two-minute segments in a vertical format tailored for smartphones.
Numerous apps focus on this content, extensively promoted on social media platforms like TikTok. While each video is short, the complete story typically spans numerous episodes, resembling a movie segmented into parts.
Despite the somewhat predictable plots, these videos are attracting considerable interest, even from Canadian producers and talent embracing this emerging medium.
Thriving Industry in Asia
For individuals in the North American entertainment sector such as TV journalist Elaine Low, the format evokes memories of Quibi, a short video streaming platform that ceased operations in 2020 after a brief stint.
Although the concept didn’t succeed in North America, Low notes its popularity in China in recent years.
The microdrama industry in China reportedly earned $7 billion US in 2024, surpassing the country’s box office revenue. Japan and South Korea have also delved into producing similar dramas, while the global microdrama industry is projected to reach $9.5 billion US by 2030.
“This industry has been thriving in Asia for several years and has only recently started gaining traction in the United States over the past year or so,” Low stated.
Low reveals that even major Hollywood studios are taking notice of this trend. She highlights Fox’s recent partnership with microdrama creator Holywater and Disney’s investment in DramaBox, another vertical production company, through their accelerator program last year.
