DUANJU  NEWS

As smartphones become the primary screen, part of the audiovisual battle is now being fought on ultra-short formats, consumed in binge-watching, but produced with premium fiction ambitions. It is in this context that Holywater, the Ukrainian company behind the My Drama app, announces a strategic alliance with Elefantec Global, a studio founded by Pepe Bastón, a major figure in the Latin American industry and a specialist in serialized storytelling. A partnership tailored for

Duanju continues to gain traction in Europe, and Portugal is now launching its own industrial project. At the end of October 2025, RTP, the Portuguese public broadcasting group, announced a partnership with SPi, a local production company, to launch what is being presented as Portugal's first vertical micro-drama project. Production: a clear package, an identified team The project is structured as a series: five series, 20 episodes per series, approximately 1 minute 30 second

TikTok is adding a new entry point to Duanju: Minis, an integrated section that groups together mini-programs, including 9:16 "mini dramas" for binge-watching. The goal is to allow audiences to discover, watch, and pay without the usual hurdles of downloading a dedicated app, creating a new account, or making off-platform payments. An important point for Western audiences: at this stage, this isn't a new app to install, but rather an internal TikTok feature. According to Busi

In the ecosystem of the new "Duanju" format, certain trajectories are as important as the series themselves. Magali Semetys is one of those French actresses whose experience lends credibility to a script still under construction. Accustomed to the rhythms of television and the demands of cinema, she applies her expertise to a shorter, more direct, vertical narrative, where the performance must be immediately clear, and where every intention, every glance, every silence become

Shorties Studios is a new international studio born from the partnership of three professionals from premium fiction and television. Their common ground is having held management positions in major audiovisual companies before deciding to work together on a project focused exclusively on short, vertically formatted series. The project brings together Kelly Luegenbiehl, former head of Netflix original series for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; Onur Güvenatam, founder of t

Duanju videos have become a phenomenon that Chinese television can no longer ignore. Their explosion on mobile devices has given rise to a new generation of players, followed by millions of viewers, to the point that they are now invited onto mainstream entertainment programs. This visibility marks a key milestone: duanju videos are no longer a peripheral format. The show "Kai Bo! Duanju Season" was the first to place micro-fiction at the heart of a real television set. Conce

Note : This app is not to be confused with the French platform of the same name, which is run by the independent studio StudioQuinze. This is an Indian micro-drama app owned by the Eloelo group. Currently, there are no financial or editorial ties between these two platforms, which operate in different countries and ecosystems. In India, where epic television sagas have long been a staple of family evenings, a change in format is underway. Balaji Telefilms, known for its long

Atresmedia, one of Spain's largest media groups, is venturing into microdramas with *Una novia por Navidad*, a series created specifically for Flooxer in a vertical format. Atresmedia owns several popular national channels and a streaming platform, Atresplayer, which plays a key role in modernizing Spanish television drama. With this project, the group joins the global trend of short-form mobile storytelling, already well-established in Asia and Latin America. The series is d

Inter Medya, based in Istanbul, is one of the leading exporters of Turkish television series. In just over thirty years, the company has built a catalog of thousands of hours of programming sold in more than 160 countries. It is now launching a new line of work: micro-dramas shot directly in 9:16 and designed for quick viewing on smartphones. A new step for Inter Medya Its first original series, "Iki CEO Bir Araya Gelmemeliydik," strings together short, actor-centric scenes w

In Hollywood, a new platform aims to turn micro-dramas into a mainstream business. GammaTime has just raised $14 million to produce very short series, filmed in vertical format and designed exclusively for smartphones. The idea is to take the formula of Chinese duanju and adapt it for Western audiences, with one- to two-minute episodes meant to be binge-watched. Behind GammaTime is Bill Block, former head of Miramax, who produced numerous independent films in the United State

On Facebook, the page "Sous le ciel de Paris" (Under the Paris Sky) has become a viral phenomenon, celebrating the beauty of the French capital. It publishes daily photos and videos offering a poetic perspective on Paris: the alleyways of Montmartre, the banks of the Seine at sunset, the interiors of historic cafés... This content resonates deeply with Paris lovers and generates massive engagement. The photo of the picturesque Rue de l'Abreuvoir in Montmartre is among the mos

Two established companies, Night Train Media and Spirit Studios, have announced the development of a phone-native micro-drama, set to launch worldwide via Night Train Digital. The project aims to innovate by combining intimate 9:16 framing, studio-level writing, and strong emotional rhythm (“one feeling per beat”). According to Herbert L. Kloiber, CEO of Night Train Media Group: “The global rise of vertical content is something we’ve followed closely. Our goal is to raise the

We previously demonstrated in an article that comics originated in a short, serialized format: first in Le Journal de Mickey (1934), then in Pilote (launched in 1959), where the adventures of Asterix, Lucky Luke, or Tanguy and Laverdure appeared weekly. This serial rhythm shaped a genuine culture of anticipation and suspense, a direct ancestor of the duanju model and its digital variations. A parallel with webtoons was also explored in another article . Today, the story se

For years, DramaBox has ruled the micro-drama space with outrageous billionaire romances and supernatural love stories, but now, the Singapore-based platform is rewriting its script. In an effort to outgrow its “guilty pleasure” image, DramaBox is expanding beyond werewolves and wealth to embrace something broader and surprisingly wholesome. The app’s next act includes family stories, kids’ animation, and choose-your-own-adventure dramas, all still built for the vertical scre

Xiaomi has officially entered China’s booming short drama market with the quiet release of its new ad-free app, Watch Short Dramas (WeiGuan Duanju). The app, now available exclusively on Xiaomi’s own app store, promises “massive short dramas for free without advertisements” and has already drawn over 20,000 downloads since launch. Developed by Chengdu Share Information Communication Co., Ltd, a company wholly owned by Xiaomi Group, the app reflects the tech giant’s deeper mov

When a legacy studio like FOX Entertainment turns its gaze toward a startup built on 9:16 storytelling, it’s a sign of how far vertical drama has come and how fast it’s growing. This week, FOX Entertainment announced that it has taken an equity stake in Holywater, a Ukrainian-born vertical video platform that’s rapidly becoming a creative hub for microdramas, AI-enhanced storytelling, and bite-sized emotional worlds. The deal marks more than a financial investment, it’s a cre

Across China, the once chaotic boom in micro-short dramas, those fast, emotional, and vertical-screen stories designed for phone viewers, is entering a new era of structure. Platforms and regulators are now setting formal rules for what began as a digital gold rush. From runaway hits like Escape from the British Museum  to countless “rebirth,” “hidden identity,” and “CEO love” plots, micro-dramas have captured the attention of hundreds of millions. But with this success has c

Miami-based VIP 2000 TV and Hemisphere Media Group have joined forces to co-produce three innovative vertical series, marking a major milestone in the expansion of Spanish language short-form storytelling. Each series will consist of 30 episodes of 90 seconds, tailored for mobile-first viewers across the US Hispanic market and Latin America, with global distribution in mind. This bold collaboration aims to redefine “premium short form” entertainment by delivering stories that

Alipay, China’s largest mobile payment app, has taken a bold step into entertainment with the launch of its brand-new “Alipay Short...

India is stepping into the spotlight of the global micro-drama wave, with homegrown startups, streaming majors, and international...