Microdrama Plot Twist: A Threat to the Apps’ Stratospheric U.S. Growth
There’s been increased attention over the past year on “microdramas,” scripted series with episodes that last just a few minutes each and are filmed for mobile’s vertical screens. After dominating in China — where revenue from microdramas outpaced the country’s box office in 2024 — the video apps behind these shows have expanded into international markets, the U.S. chief among them.
Still, regardless of whether they are the next big entertainment form or a passing fad, microdramas’ stateside growth may end up unintentionally stunted.
According to data courtesy of Appfigures, global revenue from microdramas (aka “short dramas,” “vertical series” or “Duanju” in Chinese) went from $23 million in January 2024 to over $122 million this past January — a 446% increase. Last month saw an all-time high of $126 million.
But among the several emerging global markets, microdramas have especially caught on in the U.S. Per Appfigures, domestic downloads of the top five microdrama apps surged 10,516% (yes, really), from 42,000 in March 2023 to 4.6 million this past March. In only the first three months of 2025, the top microdrama apps accumulated a total of 13.8 million downloads — just 10 million short of the top SVOD apps’ 23.7 million downloads during that same period.
Even if these microdramas aren’t technically made for TikTok, the platform’s crucial role in the genre’s rapid and widespread success cannot be overstated. ReelShort, for instance, first broke through to larger audiences when its show “Fated to My Forbidden Alpha” went TikTok viral in 2023. In just the U.S., data tracking firm MIDG estimated ReelShort’s active user base increased 188% between 2022 and 2023, while other similar apps also enjoyed virality to grow their bases throughout 2023 and 2024.
But there’s more direct evidence of “the TikTok effect” — thanks to TikTok itself. In early 2024, the company commissioned a white paper to investigate the potential of microdramas in international markets. (TikTok’s parent company ByteDance owns Hongguo, currently one of the fastest-growing microdrama apps in China.)
In a U.S.-based survey, a third of respondents said they discovered microdramas from organic TikTok content, the second-highest mode of discovery behind social media ads.
Not only is TikTok an effective gateway into microdramas, but U.S. TikTok users are also exceptionally primed to become paying microdrama viewers. Some 48% of American TikTok users surveyed perceived paying for microdramas as commonplace, while 66% said they have paid to watch a microdrama in the past (versus 35% and 48% of non-TikTok users, respectively).
Another of the report’s key findings was that North America, fueled by the U.S., is a particularly promising region, as it accounted for nearly half of all time spent watching microdramas between Q3 2023 and Q1 2024, while 61% of generated revenue dwarfed all other regions including Asia.
And yet these findings may inspire more dread than excitement as TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain. The most pressing concern is that the microdrama industry’s primary way of reaching American audiences may disappear. While there are other social media apps they could use instead, none of them have the reach and impact of TikTok.
The possibly more disruptive consequence of a TikTok ban being fully instituted is how it could directly impact microdrama apps. In 2018, the Chinese government amended its National Intelligence Law so that any individual or organization is legally required to assist with national intelligence work. In other words, if the Chinese government asked ByteDance to hand over TikTok user data, including its millions of American users, the company cannot say no.
There’s no evidence of ByteDance doing something like that, but the fact that it could happen was enough cause for Congress to pass the ban. And going by that logic, the ban could extend to any tech company based in China — including those behind the biggest microdrama apps.
Granted, the microdrama industry’s global expansion also means non-Chinese companies are in the mix. ReelShort, owned by Silicon Valley-based Crazy Maple Studios, could uniquely benefit from thinned U.S. competition. And the fact that many of the China-associated microdrama apps are actually based in Singapore could be a crucial loophole as well.
Ultimately, there’s no getting around the crater TikTok’s absence would leave in microdrama’s future success. Losing footing in its biggest non-Asian market, both from an implemented TikTok ban and the direct banning of microdrama apps, could be a devastating setback.
Still, given that TikTok’s final fate keeps getting delayed, we probably won’t know the resolution to this story for a while — unlike in the brisk plots of microdramas.
Still, regardless of whether they are the next big entertainment form or a passing fad, microdramas’ stateside growth may end up unintentionally stunted.
According to data courtesy of Appfigures, global revenue from microdramas (aka “short dramas,” “vertical series” or “Duanju” in Chinese) went from $23 million in January 2024 to over $122 million this past January — a 446% increase. Last month saw an all-time high of $126 million.
But among the several emerging global markets, microdramas have especially caught on in the U.S. Per Appfigures, domestic downloads of the top five microdrama apps surged 10,516% (yes, really), from 42,000 in March 2023 to 4.6 million this past March. In only the first three months of 2025, the top microdrama apps accumulated a total of 13.8 million downloads — just 10 million short of the top SVOD apps’ 23.7 million downloads during that same period.
Even if these microdramas aren’t technically made for TikTok, the platform’s crucial role in the genre’s rapid and widespread success cannot be overstated. ReelShort, for instance, first broke through to larger audiences when its show “Fated to My Forbidden Alpha” went TikTok viral in 2023. In just the U.S., data tracking firm MIDG estimated ReelShort’s active user base increased 188% between 2022 and 2023, while other similar apps also enjoyed virality to grow their bases throughout 2023 and 2024.
But there’s more direct evidence of “the TikTok effect” — thanks to TikTok itself. In early 2024, the company commissioned a white paper to investigate the potential of microdramas in international markets. (TikTok’s parent company ByteDance owns Hongguo, currently one of the fastest-growing microdrama apps in China.)
In a U.S.-based survey, a third of respondents said they discovered microdramas from organic TikTok content, the second-highest mode of discovery behind social media ads.
Not only is TikTok an effective gateway into microdramas, but U.S. TikTok users are also exceptionally primed to become paying microdrama viewers. Some 48% of American TikTok users surveyed perceived paying for microdramas as commonplace, while 66% said they have paid to watch a microdrama in the past (versus 35% and 48% of non-TikTok users, respectively).
Another of the report’s key findings was that North America, fueled by the U.S., is a particularly promising region, as it accounted for nearly half of all time spent watching microdramas between Q3 2023 and Q1 2024, while 61% of generated revenue dwarfed all other regions including Asia.
And yet these findings may inspire more dread than excitement as TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain. The most pressing concern is that the microdrama industry’s primary way of reaching American audiences may disappear. While there are other social media apps they could use instead, none of them have the reach and impact of TikTok.
The possibly more disruptive consequence of a TikTok ban being fully instituted is how it could directly impact microdrama apps. In 2018, the Chinese government amended its National Intelligence Law so that any individual or organization is legally required to assist with national intelligence work. In other words, if the Chinese government asked ByteDance to hand over TikTok user data, including its millions of American users, the company cannot say no.
There’s no evidence of ByteDance doing something like that, but the fact that it could happen was enough cause for Congress to pass the ban. And going by that logic, the ban could extend to any tech company based in China — including those behind the biggest microdrama apps.
Granted, the microdrama industry’s global expansion also means non-Chinese companies are in the mix. ReelShort, owned by Silicon Valley-based Crazy Maple Studios, could uniquely benefit from thinned U.S. competition. And the fact that many of the China-associated microdrama apps are actually based in Singapore could be a crucial loophole as well.
Ultimately, there’s no getting around the crater TikTok’s absence would leave in microdrama’s future success. Losing footing in its biggest non-Asian market, both from an implemented TikTok ban and the direct banning of microdrama apps, could be a devastating setback.
Still, given that TikTok’s final fate keeps getting delayed, we probably won’t know the resolution to this story for a while — unlike in the brisk plots of microdramas.