Beijing: Micro-short dramas, a burgeoning online audiovisual format, are gaining substantial traction in China, generating significant revenue and reshaping media consumption habits, experts revealed during a seminar aimed at benefiting Burkinabe media professionals.
According to Burkina Information Agency, micro-short dramas are crafted by Chinese media to leverage digital technologies and cater to the evolving preferences of content consumers. These brief, dynamic programs have become a staple of online media, demonstrating their potential through successful examples like the film “Escape from the British Museum,” which garnered over 1.3 billion views on Douyin (TikTok) within a week of its release. Zhao Jing, a journalist with Hunan Broadcasting System, noted that the film has received commendations from state media, including CCTV and Xinhuat daily, and has been the subject of significant attention and acclaim.
“Escape from the British Museum” explores the theme of repatriating cultural artifacts loote
d during colonial times. It narrates the story of a Chinese jade pot in a British museum that transforms into a young girl, seeking to return to her homeland with the assistance of a Chinese journalist. The film exemplifies the micro-short drama format, characterized by its brief runtime-ranging from a few seconds to about 15 minutes-fast-paced narrative, intense emotional arcs, and a coherent storyline.
Zhao Jing described these dramas as featuring “short-lived, fast-paced, complete plots with strong conflicts and frequent reversals,” designed to captivate audiences swiftly. The format’s thematic focus ranges from cultural legends and urban life to promoting Chinese cultural heritage and national achievements.
Economically, the micro-short drama market in China has reached 37.39 billion Yuan in 2023, with projections suggesting it could surpass 100 billion Yuan by 2027, underscoring the format’s growing influence and potential for further expansion in the digital media sector.
