In recent years, micro-short dramas have become more and more popular. According to the official data of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, in the first half of 2022, the number of micro-short dramas planned and filed in the SARFT system has reached 2,859, with a total of 69,234 episodes. You know, in 2021, the number of micro-short dramas filed throughout the year is only 398. This shows that the popularity of micro-short dramas is high.
As micro-short dramas have gradually become the audience's favorite, more and more players are rushing into the micro-short drama market. Among them, there are both long video platforms and short video platforms. And as players from all walks of life enter the game one after another, it will also help the micro-short drama industry enter a new stage.
Short plays are popular again
In fact, short plays are nothing new, on the contrary, micro short plays have appeared a long time ago. For example, in 2013, Wanhe Tianyi and Youku co-produced the mini-series "Unexpectedly", which can be said to be a representative work of early mini-short dramas. However, the popularity of the micro-short drama at that time could not be sustained, and it soon calmed down. But now, the trend of micro-short dramas has struck again, and the popularity continues to remain high.
For one thing, micro-short plays are more in line with the viewing habits of current audiences. Previously, audiences were more accustomed to watching long episodes on TV series. After all, the screen of TV series is large enough and the viewing experience is better. However, with the development of the mobile Internet and the popularity of smart hardware products such as smartphones, people are becoming more and more accustomed to using mobile phones. Not only that, but the large screen of mobile phone screens also continues to optimize the viewing experience of users. Therefore, audiences have gradually become accustomed to watching dramas and chasing variety shows on mobile phones.
In recent years, short videos have developed rapidly. Affected by this, people have become more accustomed to this short-term, fast-paced content presentation. Especially at the moment when the pace of life is accelerating, it is difficult for many viewers to spare enough time to follow the full-length episodes. The biggest feature of micro-short dramas is that they are short in time, and the audience can finish watching the episodes in a relatively short period of time. It can be seen that micro-short plays are more in line with the viewing preferences of current audiences, so it is only logical that micro-short plays can gradually win the audience's favor and recognition.
Second, the content of the micro-short drama is complete and refined enough to bring a better viewing experience to the audience. Although the time of each episode of the micro-short drama is very short, the characters, background, and conflicts that should be presented are complete. It can be said that there are all the necessary elements, and the complete plot can also bring a good viewing experience to the audience. . In addition, due to the short duration of the episodes, the conflicts and turning points of the micro-short dramas are often one after another, which can better capture the attention of the audience.
Thirdly, the themes and types of micro-short dramas are diverse, which can meet the diverse needs of audiences for watching dramas. Different audiences have different needs for watching dramas. The more themes of a drama series, the more audience groups it can cover. With the popularity of the micro-short drama market, the themes of micro-short dramas have become more and more diverse, not only ancient costumes, sweet pets, campus and other types, but also suspense, comedy, emotion and many other themes. The diversification of content and themes also makes micro-short dramas continue to expand the audience, attracting many viewers to watch.
The short video platform "takes the lead"
When it comes to micro-short dramas, short video platforms must be avoided. Short video platforms represented by Douyin and Kuaishou can be said to be an important force in the field of micro-short dramas. It is understood that as early as 2019, Kuaishou integrated the resources of short video episodes in the station and launched the "Kuaishou Small Theater" section. Coincidentally, Douyin is also continuing to add weight to the field of short dramas. However, behind the continuous layout of short video platforms such as Doukuai and the micro-short drama business, it is related to many factors.
First, the short video modes of Douyin and Kuaishou provide a natural soil for the development of micro-short dramas. Compared with other content models, short videos are short, flat, and fast, and have a high adaptability to the increasing fragmentation time of current users. This is also why the short video model can rise rapidly and is loved by a large number of users. one of the important reasons. After years of development, users of short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou have a high degree of acceptance of fast-paced video content, and the distinctive features of micro-short dramas are short time and fast rhythm. , Short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou have natural genes for the development of micro-short dramas.
Second, Douyin and Kuaishou have massive traffic resources, which can provide a boost for the development of the micro-short drama business. Compared with long dramas, in micro-short dramas, the participation rate of well-known actors is lower, and the appeal is weaker. However, for drama series, in order to become popular, in addition to the key content, moderate promotion is also necessary. Today, Douyin and Kuaishou, which hold huge traffic, have become one of the important positions for brand marketing and work promotion. The traffic advantages of Douyin and Kuaishou will also drive the development of their micro-short drama business, and provide assistance for the popularity of micro-short drama works.
Third, the development of micro-short dramas will help short video platforms increase user stickiness. As the Internet traffic dividend is coming to an end, all major Internet platforms are facing varying degrees of traffic anxiety, and short video platforms are no exception. Content is always the key to retaining old users and expanding new users on the short video platform, and micro-short dramas can be used as an important content supplement form of the short video platform to enhance the content attractiveness of the short video platform. Retention played a positive role in promoting. Data shows that as of July 2022, there will be more than 260 million daily active users of Kuaishou short dramas. According to Douyin’s public data, the number of daily deduplication users of its micro-short dramas is more than 100 million, and about 1,000 new micro-short dramas are added every year.
Long video platform "Striding Meteor"
In addition to short video platforms, long video platforms are also actively deploying micro-short dramas. For example, Tencent Video released the first dedicated micro-short drama brand "Shifen Theater"; Youku set up "Small Theater"; Mango TV has "Xiafan Theater" and so on. The reason why long video platforms have made efforts in micro and short dramas also has its own logic.
On the one hand, the layout of micro-short dramas can enrich the content format of the long video platform. For long video platforms, high-quality content is always the focus of users' attention. However, nowadays, people's attention is gradually attracted by short videos, and they are becoming more and more accustomed to the short video mode. Long video platforms are facing a lot of pressure. Even when watching long episodes, many viewers will turn on the double-speed playback mode in order to watch the entire episode in a shorter time. Micro-short dramas are very in line with the current audience's preferences for watching dramas. The layout of micro-short dramas on the long video platform not only conforms to the audience's preferences, but also enriches the content of the platform.
For example, Tencent Video has successively launched a variety of short plays such as "Aunt's World", "Wife's Counterattack", "Please Don't Spoil Me", "A Mountain at the Beginning"; ", "I've Been Late for So Many Years", "Cold Branches Keep Breaking", have also achieved good results; Youku has also launched "Deadly Housewife", "The Maid of Gold", "Locking Love for Three Lives", "Every Step Is Trapped", etc. drama. The launch of these short plays has further enriched the content ecology of the long video platform and enhanced the attractiveness of the platform.
On the other hand, the long-form video platform can attract more users through the layout of micro-short plays. After years of development, each long video platform has accumulated a certain amount of user groups, and many long video platforms have achieved more than 100 million paid members. Indisputable fact. Most of the users of the long video platform are fans of long dramas, which are not exactly the same as the audiences of micro and short dramas. The layout of micro-short dramas on the long video platform can also attract more new traffic, thereby promoting the growth of the number of platform users.
Micro-short drama "Nuggets" is not easy
To this day, the trend of micro-short dramas is still blowing more and more fiercely. With the continuous intensive cultivation of players from all walks of life, the development of the micro-short drama industry will also be accelerated. However, it is undeniable that with the explosion of micro-short dramas, there are not only huge opportunities, but also challenges that must be faced squarely.
First, with the increase in the number of micro-short dramas, content homogeneity is prone to occur. Today's micro-short drama industry is getting more and more popular. Players from all walks of life have deployed one after another, and the number of filings for short dramas has also continued to increase, which is evident from the high popularity. But it must be said that although the increase in the number of micro-short plays can further enrich the audience's options, it also makes it easier for micro-short plays to fall into the dilemma of content homogeneity. If the content homogeneity of micro-short plays cannot be resolved, it is very easy for the audience to see through the routine. If things go on like this, the content of homogeneous micro-short dramas will lose the patience of the audience, which is not conducive to long-term development.
The second is that the competition in the micro-short drama market is becoming more and more fierce, and it is not easy to produce micro-short drama works that go out of the circle. The considerable prospects contained in the micro-short play have caused players from all walks of life to leave the game one after another. As these players who either have content production experience or have advantages in traffic resources enter the game one after another, it is bound to promote the micro-short play to become high-quality and high-quality. direction development.
Since these players have their own strengths and their strengths cannot be underestimated, the competition in the field of micro-short dramas will become increasingly fierce. Although fierce competition can boost the transformation of micro-short dramas to high-quality products, for industry participants, it takes effort to produce high-quality micro-short dramas. Especially at the moment when content homogeneity is serious, it is even more difficult to create high-quality and good-content micro-short dramas.
Although micro-short dramas are facing various challenges, these problems are not without solutions. It is worth mentioning that with the efforts of many parties, today's micro-short dramas are developing in a good direction. The beginning of micro-short dramas to high-quality content is a good example. Content is always the key to the development of micro-short dramas. With the continuous efforts of participants in the micro-short drama industry in terms of content, it will naturally improve the content homogeneity of micro-short dramas. If the long and short video platforms want to continue to maintain their advantages in this competition in the field of micro-short dramas, they also need to keep running.