With an estimated 696 million users and more than 100,200 related companies, short‑form serialized dramas have become one of China’s fastest‑growing entertainment sectors. According to Sina, the market is projected to reach 67 billion yuan by 2025, highlighting the explosive rise of this new media format.
Short dramas have now surpassed traditional cinema in growth momentum. Public data shows that in 2022, the short‑drama market exceeded 10 billion yuan, while China’s annual box‑office revenue was just over 30 billion yuan. By 2024, short‑drama revenue had surged past 50 billion yuan, overtaking box‑office earnings, which hovered around 40 billion yuan. This reversal reflects a major shift in audience viewing habits toward bite‑sized, mobile‑friendly content.
No longer confined to simple entertainment, short dramas have evolved into a broader ecosystem connecting users, brands, and cultural trends. Business models have expanded beyond pay‑per‑view into revenue sharing, brand collaborations, and integrated industry chains.
According to 36Kr, Maple Leaf Interactive currently leads the market with its app ReelShort. Launched in 2023, ReelShort reported revenue of nearly 4.3 billion yuan by 2025, driven largely by easily digestible storylines centered on popular tropes such as powerful CEOs, wealthy family marriages, and fantasy romance. The platform has also gained traction internationally.
The boom has created a new generation of stars. Actress Ma Qiuyuan earned the nickname “Queen of Short Dramas” after appearing in roughly 30 projects within just two years. In October 2025, Ke Chun, dubbed the “King of Short Dramas,” drew over 100,000 simultaneous viewers during a livestream, setting brand sales records. Actor He Jianqi, who rose to fame through the short drama Affectionate Seduction, reportedly generated more than 2 million yuan in a single livestream selling baby‑care products, followed by nearly 200,000 additional orders afterward.
Industry observers note that short dramas are gradually shifting away from the original “fast production, low cost” model toward higher quality, fueled by fragmented entertainment demand, capital inflows, and supportive policies. Many local governments have incorporated short dramas into cultural‑industry development plans, offering incentives to position them as new engines of cultural consumption.
However, the industry’s rapid expansion has also exposed deep‑seated problems. Content homogenization, illogical scripts, copyright infringement, and distorted values remain widespread. According to The Paper, the most urgent challenge lies in script development, with calls for more diverse source material, creative breakthroughs, and stronger long‑term storytelling potential.
One major issue is excessive adaptation of online novels. Popular web fiction is often remade repeatedly into multiple short‑drama versions with different casts.
At the Hangzhou Short Drama Conference in November 2025, Zhao Youxiu, chief producer at Tinghuadao, bluntly criticized the industry, stating that many 2025 productions were nearly indistinguishable. He cited over 5,000 short dramas featuring a “drugged CEO” trope and more than 3,000 dramas involving the female lead entering the wrong hotel room. Overused clichés such as amnesia, mistaken benefactors, children searching for fathers, contract marriages, and villainous female rivals have pushed the industry into creative stagnation.
Some projects have crossed into outright absurdity. In mid‑2025, China Time reported on the viral short drama “The unicorn brings a child, blessing from heaven”, in which a woman gives birth to 99 sons at once after a single night with an emperor, accompanied by a mythical qilin descending from the sky. The storyline sparked widespread ridicule and criticism.
Academics have also voiced alarm. A vice professor from Southwest University’s literature department noted that most short dramas rely heavily on sensationalist web fiction, prioritize fast consumption, and lack meaningful reflection on social reality. Several productions have faced fierce backlash for vulgar or offensive themes.
One particularly controversial case reported by Guancha involved a short drama depicting an 11‑year‑old girl marrying and giving birth, prompting public outrage. The series was swiftly removed from all platforms, though the consequences for the production company remain unclear.
Labor and child‑protection issues have also emerged. Beijing Daily reported an incident in which a child actor was forced to stand in the rain for hours on set while adult actors were shielded with umbrellas. The child was reportedly paid only 800 yuan, and no substitute props were used to save time. China Youth Daily warned that using minors in adult roles or sensitive scenes turns children into tools for traffic and monetization, violating both ethical standards and potentially criminal law.
While short‑form dramas present enormous opportunities for China’s entertainment industry, their unchecked growth has underscored the urgent need for stronger regulation, content oversight, and protection of fundamental social values.
Sources: Znews