DUANJU  NEWS

In an interview with Philippe Guedj of the French magazine Le Point on August 7, 2025, Tom Rothman, president of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group , delivers a nuanced and optimistic analysis on the impact of streaming in the film industry. Streaming: Not the culprit, but a new partner For Rothman, streaming is not the enemy of cinema: “ Streaming isn't the problem: most people don't understand this. In reality, streaming has essentially replaced broadcast television.* » He even believes that platforms like Netflix can be good allies, provided that films are released in theaters first before being shown online. The real issue: the duration of exclusivity in theaters According to him, the real threat to theaters lies in the excessive reduction of the exclusivity window. Before the pandemic, it often exceeded 100 days; today, it can drop to 17 days, which weakens the appeal of the big screen. He praises the French model, where the window is longer, even if he considers the regulations sometimes too rigid and points out that this framework has allowed the national box office to rebound after Covid. Collective experience: an enduring force In the face of those who consider cinema to be outdated, Rothman passionately defends the social and immersive dimension of the big screen: " Films on the big screen are a different experience from films on your phone because they're communal. " He remains convinced that cinema will never die as long as this shared moment in theaters persists. Source : • Le Point , August 7, 2025

ReelShort is a California-based company (Sunnyvale), launched in August 2022 by Crazy Maple Studio , a subsidiary backed by the Chinese group COL Group , which still holds 49% of the shares. Although legally incorporated in the United States, it still maintains a strong Chinese structure involved in writing, production and data analysis. In just over two years, it has exploded: 370 million downloads in the first quarter of 2025 (+500% compared to 2024), $700 million in revenue, notably from in-app purchases and freemium subscriptions. The freemium subscription allows free access to the first episodes, while the rest requires either watching ads or purchasing virtual tokens to unlock episodes more quickly. ReelShort had approximately 55 million monthly active users by the end of 2025, and consistently ranked in the top 5 entertainment apps on the US App Store in 2023 and 2024, even surpassing TikTok at times. ReelShort is a leader in the Western Duanju market, with approximately 30% international market share, directly competing with DramaBox , owned by Dianzhong Technology . Joey Jia , founder and CEO of Crazy Maple Studio , believes that the ultra-short vertical format represents the future of entertainment, thanks to its rapid production, precise analysis of audiences and viewer behaviors, and its ability to create local stars in each target market. So it's not just a matter of translating Chinese series: the platform produces localized versions according to the market. Sources: • Wired , July 29, 2025 • The Washington Post , February 3, 2024 • The Economist , November 23, 2023 • IndieWire , November 30, 2023 • TechCrunch , November 16, 2023 • Rest of World , December 11, 2023 • Yicai Global , November 24, 2023 • Business Insider , June 5, 2025 • Time , May 15, 2024 • TechTrendsKE , July 28, 2025

Once the cultural flagship, Chinese cinema now gives way to micro dramas (Duanju): vertical stories, designed for mobile and condensed into a few minutes, that reinvent popular storytelling. A market larger than that of film In 2023, China's micro-drama market reached 35.9 billion yuan. In 2024, it surpassed 50 billion yuan , surpassing the domestic film industry's revenue of 47 billion yuan for the first time. This shift marks a structural turning point. According to projections, the micro-drama market could exceed 100 billion yuan by 2027. Rapid growth, massive jobs The sector's dynamism is also measured by the creation of companies: more than 16,000 micro-drama companies were established in China in 2024, generating more than 600,000 jobs . From scriptwriting to post-production and algorithmic marketing, an entire ecosystem is emerging, at the crossroads of entertainment and technology. An export that is accelerating The phenomenon is no longer limited to China. In the first quarter of 2025, microdramas generated more than 2.4 billion yuan internationally . The United States already accounts for more than 45% of revenue outside China, ahead of Japan and Australia. The genre is winning over new audiences, attracted by its brevity, its twists, and its ability to adapt to local codes. What was still considered a "niche" in 2022 has, in three years, become a pillar of the content economy. Platforms like ReelShort, DramaBox, and NetShort are waging a fierce battle with advertising campaigns and targeted genres. Sources: • Chambers , October 15, 2024 • China Daily , December 27, 2024 • WARC , February 20, 2025 • Awn China , 2025 • SocialPeta , 2025

While traveling in Indonesia and South Korea, Gaëtan Bruel, president of the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) , the public organization responsible for supporting audiovisual creation in France, published a message on LinkedIn in which he mentioned for the first time vertical dramas, these mobile fictions in short, vertical format, also called Duanju , the Chinese term for a genre born in China. Former director of cultural services at the French Embassy in the United States, Gaëtan Bruel took over as head of the CNC in February 2025. In this position, he is responsible for defining the broad guidelines for public support for film and audiovisual creation in France. In this publication, he describes contrasting dynamics between Indonesia, where cinema attendance is increasing, and South Korea, which has been in sharp decline since 2019. He sees this as a sign of a shift towards more individual and digital uses. It is in this context that he emphasizes that "innovations in formats are now coming from Asia (webtoon, vertical drama) with a very prescriptive effect." The mention of vertical dramas is thus part of a broader reflection on the growing influence of Asian content and on the need for France to remain active in this global transformation of formats. He also points out that the development of streaming does not necessarily imply a drop in cinema attendance, provided that the former is regulated and the latter supported. This mention, the first from the CNC, is symbolic. It shows that these mobile formats, until now marginal in the French institutional landscape, are beginning to enter the field of reflection of cultural policies. Source : • Gaëtan Bruel - Linkedin , July 16, 2025

The My Drama platform, developed by the Ukrainian company Holywater, has just won a Gold Award at the Muse Creative Awards 2025 , in the Mobile App: Video Streaming Services category. An award that confirms the rise of this application dedicated to short and vertical fiction (Duanju). The elegance of its interface and its focus on short content attracted both users and specialist juries. Another Holywater project, a short film made with AI by Illya Rozhkov, also won an award. Holywater is also behind the digital novel app My Passion, which My Drama series are often inspired by. On LinkedIn, several Holywater executives welcomed this recognition. Among them, Oleksandra Naidonova, Head of Product Strategy, was present at the ceremony. She praised the team's collective work and reflected on a year of intensive development: "This award validates a design approach resolutely focused on interactive storytelling, artificial intelligence, and the mobile user experience." With this Gold Award , My Drama asserts itself as one of the most promising platforms of the new generation of mobile streaming. Discover the platform: here Sources : • Muse Creative Awards , May 2025 • LinkedIn - Holywater , May 2025 • LinkedIn - Oleksandra Naidonova , May 2025 • LinkedIn - Oleksandra Naidonova , May 2025

From the Greek amphitheater to vertical screens, the play of human passions always finds its stage! In ancient times, Aristotle described the theater as a place where spectators came to purge their passions: to confront tragedy, fear, and desire, only to emerge feeling lighter, freed from their torments. Today, this mirror of our emotions has moved to the vertical screens of our smartphones. The duanju, immersive mini-series, seem to have inherited, in their own way, this cathartic function. Duanju 's directors also know how to wield timeless dramatic devices: unspeakable secrets, burning betrayals, intimate power games, family or romantic scandals. Each episode propels us into intrigues where our own frustrations, unfulfilled desires, romantic fantasies, or dreamed revenges find an outlet. The short format and fast pace reinforce this emotional closeness. Everything is designed to make the audience identify with the characters, to experience through them what they wouldn't always dare say or do in reality. If ancient theater was the site of tragedy and collective catharsis, duanju offers an intimate, solitary, and digital catharsis, consumed over the course of a coffee break or a subway ride. It's a new form of emotional ritual, adapted to our busy times, but still drawn to the dramas we can experience vicariously. Article written by Maëlle Billant #MaelleBillant

The market for short dramas, or duanju , continues to grow globally. According to Insightrackr, Stardust TV, launched in July 2024 , is already the most profitable app in March 2025, generating more than $4 million. These revenues continue a momentum initiated by months of sharply increased downloads, and are based on excellent performances in Japan, South Korea and Indonesia. In terms of downloads, DramaBox and DramaWave maintain their top spots. Several new players are recording spectacular growth: Swift Drama is up 875%, FlickReels is up 415%. MeloShort , FunDrama , and Melolo join the top 15, and RapidTV's revenue grew by 148%. StardustTV's downloads come mainly from Brazil, Turkey, and Vietnam, while its revenues are derived from East Asia. The duanju format thus confirms its dual dynamic: global in broadcasting, targeted in monetization. Source : • Insightrackr , March 25, 2025

In China, and gradually in many Western countries, duanju attract millions of spectators, the majority of whom are... female spectators.   Why this success with the female audience? Firstly, because duanju originate from a universe already well established among women: web novels. These sentimental fictions, often written by female authors, are aimed at a predominantly female readership, lovers of intense love stories full of twists and turns. Naturally, these online stories have found an audiovisual extension in duanju , which adopts their narrative codes.   The vertical format accentuates this affinity. Close-ups of faces capture emotions, the play of glances, and the thrills of seduction. The staging focuses on a central duo between a man and a woman, in plots that give pride of place to the characters' psychology and romantic tensions. The economical filming of duanju is supported by a minimalist aesthetic, luxurious-looking but often interior sets, perfectly suited to romantic intrigues. The romantic genre thus allows for limiting costs while reinforcing the intimacy of the scenes. The accessible narrative codes of romance and an emotionally focused production therefore accompany this format designed for rapid and addictive immersion.   The typical audience? Women between 35 and 55, who watch these series on the go or during short breaks in their daily lives, on their phones. Within reach, these pocket-sized heroines accompany their everyday lives. Consumption is certainly fragmented but faithful, similar to that of telenovelas and soap operas of yesteryear. Could duanju then be for these women what video games are for some men: a codified, ritualized, and stimulating entertainment with a high addictive power?   Today, despite the current prevalence of female audiences, the situation could be changing. While romance remains king on many platforms and apps, other genres are beginning to emerge: adventures, everyday stories, friendships, family dramas. This welcome diversification could attract a wider and more male audience, while renewing the codes, both aesthetic and narrative.   Duanju may have been born in the virtual pages of online romances, but it is fast becoming a new universal language of short storytelling. And women, pioneers of this trend with web literature, are its first heroines. As the heroes of these short romantic fictions, female authors and directors also have a significant role to play in the renewal of genres and the creative side of the format, offering new, captivating, more varied stories that will appeal to a wide audience, beyond genre and genres.   Article written by Maëlle Billant #MaelleBillant

Since February 2025, the Chinese state has imposed a strict regulatory framework on duanju , these vertical micro-series that have become massively popular. The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) requires that no micro-drama be put online without a license number or official registration. Behind this tightening lies a growing concern: the rise of content deemed provocative, sensationalist or contrary to the cultural values that the authorities wish to encourage. Some series rely on greed, revenge, social humiliation, or extreme romantic intrigues to capture attention. Stories featuring domineering CEOs, extravagant success stories, or romantic manipulation are particularly targeted. These ultra-short fictions, designed to trigger an immediate reaction, sometimes flirt with emotional triggers similar to those of gambling or shock videos. For the state, it's no longer just a matter of regulating an industry: it's a matter of limiting exposure to stories perceived as harmful to moral or social balance. Major platforms like Tencent Video , iQIYI , and Kuaishou must now submit their content for approval. For creators, these rules redefine the contours of a format once perceived as free and unbridled. Official Chinese sources • Central Government , December 27, 2022 • People's Daily , November 27, 2024 • Sina Finance , February 5, 2025 • Xinhua , February 5, 2025 • NRTA , February 6, 2025 International sources • Reuters , February 5, 2025 • Straits Times , February 5, 2025 • VOA Mandarin , February 5, 2025 • The World of Chinese , March 22, 2024 • Time Magazine , April 27, 2024

Today, the editorial team recommends a new fiction in duanju format: "Alpha King's Hated Princess" . Filmed in English and in vertical format, the fiction is aimed at a mature audience, due to certain explicit scenes mixing power, psychological violence and sexual tension. The series reinvents the codes of dark romance through episodes lasting 1 to 3 minutes. It is specially designed to be viewed on a mobile phone. Inspired by a bestselling web novel, the story follows a war-torn king who enslaves his enemy's daughter, Danika. Between revenge, domination, and repressed attraction, feelings evolve throughout the episodes. Lead actress Maryna Boyko aptly embodies a tormented heroine, mixing vulnerability and inner strength, facing a king as brutal as he is enigmatic. This Duanju stands out for the power of its storytelling, the precision of its costumes, its immersive medieval settings, and its powerful atmosphere. It shows how dark romance can reinvent itself in a fast-paced and condensed format, while maintaining great emotional intensity. The series is available on the MyDrama app. Check out an excerpt. If needed, activate subtitles in your language.