Chinese Producers Release 128,000 Short Dramas in Q1 as AI Tops 95% of Output
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 26
Chinese Producers Release 128,000 Short Dramas in Q1 as AI Tops 95% of Output
2 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 26
Summary
About 128,000 short dramas hit China in the first quarter, with industry estimates showing more than 95% were AI-generated as producers rapidly test audience demand.
Generative AI has cut production time and cost, letting platforms trial opening clips with defined audiences and then scale promotion only for titles that convert.
Cheap production has not guaranteed profits: making a short drama can cost a few hundred thousand yuan, but buying 1,000 ad impressions has climbed to 150-200 yuan, sometimes above 300 yuan.
Competition for viewers is intensifying, with short-drama campaigns paying 2.3 times Mintegral's Android benchmark per app install while active advertisers and ad creatives have more than doubled.
China's microdrama and manju market reached about 100 billion yuan in 2025, but experts say the format complements rather than displaces premium film and television.