LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� While much of by the streaming wars, was studying a different mode of entertainment thousands of miles away: microdramas.
No stranger to creating a successful online series, the Emmy-nominated actor and producer became intrigued by China’s booming market for the short, mobile-first , seeing its potential to build audiences and intellectual property.
In May, Rae’s Hoorae Media released the thriller 鈥淪creen Time,鈥� one of the first major studio-quality microdrama projects developed by an established Hollywood production company. The TikTok-backed series drew nearly 75 million views during its first week.
Rae believes the format offers advantages traditional media often cannot.
鈥淏ecause the price point is lower than TV and film, there鈥檚 an opportunity to take risks,鈥� she told The Associated Press. 鈥淭he turnaround time is also a lot quicker than TV and film, which allows us the opportunity to be more topical and relevant.鈥�
With vertically shot episodes often running one to three minutes, microdramas have emerged as one of entertainment鈥檚 fastest-growing formats. That’s drawing interest from celebrities, creators and major media companies looking for new ways to reach audiences who increasingly consume stories on their phones.
Beyond speed and cost, Rae said microdramas foster a more interactive viewing experience between creators and audiences.
鈥淭he communal experience is also amazing,鈥� said Rae, whose web series 鈥淭he Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl鈥� helped launch her career. 鈥淵ou can see what other viewers think and engage with their commentary in real time.鈥�
Microdramas catch the attention of Hollywood
At first glance, the formula seems deceptively simple: smartphone-friendly bingeable miniepisodes featuring tales of romance, betrayal and redemption with titles like 鈥淭he Double Life of My Billionaire Husband.鈥� The first few episodes are generally free and viewers have to pay to unlock more.
The model that first emerged in China during the pandemic has exploded 鈥� global microdrama revenues will hit $14 billion by the end of 2026, technology research and advisory group Omdia estimates 鈥� and the U.S. entertainment industry is taking note.
Peacock recently launched a dedicated microdrama hub. Fox Entertainment invested in microdrama producer Holywater and committed to producing hundreds of vertical titles, while TelevisaUnivision is producing serialized short-form dramas for ViX.
HartBeat has expanded into vertical comedy, is backing scripted mobile-first content through her investment in microdrama platform ReelShort, has starred in vertical series aimed at the growing audience consuming serialized stories on smartphones, and filmmaker is developing the sports-focused vertical series 鈥淚 Am Hoop.鈥�
At this year鈥檚 MIP London television market, executives said some of the largest microdrama platforms are spending as much as 90% of their budgets on marketing as competition for audiences intensifies.
Phones provide direct access to audiences
Hoorae Media spent more than two years researching the format before launching 鈥淪creen Time.鈥� The company became convinced microdramas represented more than a passing trend after studying how audiences were consuming entertainment on their phones.
鈥淭he connective tissue being the phone, and how much time people are already spending on their phone,鈥� said Dzifa Yador, head of digital at Hoorae Media. 鈥淲e鈥檙e meeting audiences where they are.鈥�
Yador believes the format gives creators something increasingly difficult to find in traditional Hollywood: Instead of waiting years for a studio decision, creators can test ideas, build an audience and retain ownership.
鈥淵ou definitely get rid of the gatekeepers,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can greenlight your own show.鈥�
Independent creators helped build the audience first
Long before Hollywood began paying attention, creators were already proving audiences would spend hours following serialized stories online.
Among the most successful is Kountry Wayne, who transitioned from the comedy sketches that made him famous to a universe of interconnected relationship dramas after noting those had a longer shelf life.
The Georgia native, whose Amazon Prime Video stand-up special 鈥淜ountry Wayne: Nostalgia” debuted this year, said he now releases 50 episodes a day.
Wayne recently posted that his content generated about 1.4 billion views on Facebook and another 100 million on YouTube over the previous month. Meta and YouTube declined to independently verify those figures.
As Hollywood’s interest in vertical storytelling accelerated, the comedian said, he turned down eight-figure deals to license or acquire his content, choosing instead to keep ownership as his audience grew.
鈥淚f they get in, they’re going try to control it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 knew it was growing.鈥�
The format offers a new proving ground for filmmakers
The American Black Film Festival, one of the nation鈥檚 leading showcases for Black film and television, is giving the next generation of storytellers an entry point through the format.
The festival launched its first microdrama showcase this year, selecting eight finalists from hundreds of submissions.
Festival programmer Bobbi Broome said the response underscored how quickly creators are embracing the format.
鈥淎t least two or three of them said that they decided to try doing a microdrama because they saw the ABFF competition start,鈥� Broome told AP.
For many filmmakers, she said, the showcase was more than producing short-form content. It gave them an opportunity to test ideas that could eventually evolve into larger projects.
鈥淚 spoke with a couple of filmmakers who said that this was kind of like their proof of concept for a feature,鈥� Broome said. 鈥淭he industry is changing day in and day out.”
Where will microdramas go from here?
Rae believes microdramas are only beginning to reveal their potential.
鈥淲e knew audiences will appreciate premium content that is free and easily accessible,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f the story is engaging, the acting is good and it generally feels made with them in mind, they will engage.鈥�
For Wayne, the future of the format is rooted in the same device that helped him build his audience. He said his videos are filmed on cellphones, with little traditional editing, which allows him and his team to move quickly while getting his stories to the audience with high quality visuals.
鈥淭he eyeballs are on the phone,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e still go to the theater. We still watch TV. But we’re on this phone.鈥�
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