The key facts

  • Microdramas are episodes of 60–90 seconds, in series of 50+ episodes; the format originated in China in the late 2010s
  • Micro-series are episodes of 60–90 seconds, with series of 50+ episodes; the format originated in China in the late 2010s
  • China's microdrama market exceeded 100 billion yuan (£11 billion) in 2025, with more than 800 million viewers (National Radio and Television Administration data)
  • The UK is the format's largest audience in Europe; streamers Prime, Peacock and Disney+ have announced plans to add microdramas
  • The UK is the format's largest audience in Europe; streaming services Prime, Peacock and Disney+ have announced plans to add micro-series

Shows for the scrolling era

Microdramas — vertical dramas with episodes of 60–90 seconds — are rapidly going mainstream. Last week, producers announced that classic storylines from the series Neighbours will be repackaged into ultra-short vertical episodes. The format is available on the ReelShort, CandyJar and DramaBox apps, and in the UK TattleTV launched earlier this year, positioning itself as the country's first dedicated microdrama app. This is reported in a BBC News feature on the format's growing popularity.

Where the format came from and why it hooks viewers

The format emerged in China in the late 2010s as cheap, quick-to-shoot adaptations of online novels, says director Samantha San of Chinese origin. Episodes end on a dramatic cliffhanger, and a series of 50 or more episodes has a total runtime comparable to a feature film. According to China's National Radio and Television Administration, last year China's microdrama market exceeded 100 billion yuan (£11 billion), and the number of viewers reached 800 million. The format is also popular in South Korea, India and the US, while the streamers Prime, Peacock and Disney+ have announced plans to add microdramas to their services.

Who watches it and how

British viewers describe the format as a way to 'switch off': 55-year-old Heather Sharrock from Scotland watches dozens of episodes in an evening, while 46-year-old Sarah-Jayne Lunn from Doncaster says the dramas helped her through a difficult period — 'there was no need to think too much'. Industry consultant Jen Cooper notes that the audience was initially middle-aged women looking for romantic content, but it has now become far broader. Analysts call the format 'snackable': it is watched in the car while waiting for children after school, or in the background while doing household chores. Dr Tina Kendall of Anglia Ruskin University links its popularity to a shift towards 'casual, commitment-free viewing'.

The economics and the criticism

For producers, the format is financially attractive: Haydn WakeLING, founder of the company Black Swan, says a microdrama of 60–90 minutes total runtime can be shot in under two weeks, which cuts costs. Director Dan Lowenstein, who started with the microdrama Mafia Lover in February 2024, has already made 38 — first on commission from Chinese apps, and now with American platforms and global streamers, as the Chinese industry has switched to AI production. The apps usually offer the first episodes for free and then require a subscription: CandyJar costs £49 a year, DramaBox £110. The format has its critics too: a columnist in The Guardian called the shows 'catastrophically mindless and objectively bad', and some viewers and actors, including Coco Taylor, pointed to misogynistic plots with crude scenes of violence — although, according to fans, the storytelling has improved with the arrival of American and British writing teams.

Three photos in a composite - one of a man in a blue and white striped shirt, one of a man on the phone in a pink and white checked shirt, one of a woman and a man looking shocked in brown polo shirtsImage source, Spare Arrow
Image caption,

Spare Arrow released its first microdrama, comedy caper Glen's Boutique, on social media earlier this year

Two photos; in one, Diane Aitken, a woman with brown hair in a bob, smiles at the camera; in the other, Sarah-Jayne Lunn, a woman with brown hair tied up with a long fringe, smiles at the cameraImage source, Diane Aitken and Sarah-Jayne Lunn
Image caption,

Diane and Sarah-Jayne both say they got into microdramas after seeing adverts on social media

Two actresses being recorded by a three-person camera crew in an officeImage source, Ma Jian/VCG via Getty Images
Image caption,

Chinese viewers have been hooked by the dramatic plotlines and quickfire nature of microdramas

Three images in a composite - one of a woman at a dinner table with a candle and wine glass, one of a couple in formal clothes and one of a man at a dinner table with a candle and wine glassImage source, Black Swan Verticals
Image caption,

Coco Taylor is starring in a murder mystery microdrama filmed by a Welsh production company

Two women and a man stand behind a camera on a film setImage source, Black Swan Verticals
Image caption,

Filmmakers at production company Black Swan are adding the final touches to their first microdrama, a 50-episode murder mystery filmed in July

A young man with short brown hair and a woman with long blonde hair smile at the cameraA woman is slapped with a slice of bread in a South Korean micro-dramaA poster showing three people - a man wearing a black vest and holding a sword, a woman in a black embellished blouse holding a sword with both hands, and behind them, a bald man with a strip of hair holding an axe. In the background, there is a red and gold couch and a duststorm