Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming platform, is beginning to integrate ReelShort duanjus into its mobile app. The American group, which owns NBC, Universal, and Bravo, is thus testing a format previously associated primarily with specialized platforms from China and Singapore. The agreement includes the launch of several vertical short-form series directly within the Peacock platform. NBCUniversal is also developing original productions designed for fast-paced mobile viewing, particularly around the Bravo brand. The group aims to gauge the potential of these formats to generate new viewing habits and retain an audience already familiar with short videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts. For viewers, this means that vertical dramas are starting to move beyond specialized apps and onto mainstream streaming platforms. Until now, players like ReelShort, DramaBox, and ShortMax relied primarily on their own mobile apps and massive social media campaigns. With Peacock, the format arrives directly on a service already installed on the devices of millions of American subscribers. ReelShort is one of the most prominent platforms in the Western microdrama market. The company has seen significant growth since 2024 thanks to ultra-short series designed for smartphones, often released episode by episode using a freemium model. The agreement with NBCUniversal gives it new exposure to a wider and more traditional audience. For NBCUniversal, the test goes beyond simple editorial experimentation. Major American media groups are now looking to integrate short-term mobile usage into their own platforms rather than leaving this space to specialized apps. The convergence between vertical production and streaming distribution is becoming more direct, with content designed from the ground up for rapid mobile consumption. This evolution also brings vertical dramas closer to the traditional workings of the American audiovisual industry. Established platforms are beginning to view the performance of micro-dramas not as an isolated phenomenon, but as a potential category within mobile streaming.

For several decades, Asia has been developing cultural formats designed to organize the circulation of emotions on a large scale. Duanju could be to the audiovisual world what the emoji was to writing and K-pop to the music industry: not simply a format from Asia, but a new standard with global aspirations. A bold hypothesis. And yet, for the past thirty years, several major cultural innovations from Asia, initially perceived as local phenomena, have permanently shaped customs across the globe. Manga, for example, transformed the conventions of graphic storytelling. Emojis completely altered the framework of our written communication. K-pop redefined the relationship between artists, platforms, and communities. Today, duanju seems to be following the same trajectory. The common thread running through all these innovations goes deeper than mere novelty of format or originality of content. They shift the center of gravity of culture: from the production of works to the organization of interactions. These Asian inventions all emerged precisely at the intersection of communication, technology, and emotion. This difference is fundamental: what circulates on social and digital networks is not just information. It is feelings, reactions, identifications, emotions, and subjectivities. From this perspective, manga, emojis, K-pop, and duanju clearly appear as particularly effective technologies for the circulation of emotion. Emojis compress an emotion into a symbol, even adding to language without simply replacing it or transposing it into an image like a tracing. K-pop transforms individual emotion into a collective and communal experience. Manga pushes emotional intensity to the very heart of its visual identity. Duanju, for its part, seems to take this logic to its culmination, as it is constructed as a continuous flow of emotion. Each scene is designed to elicit an immediate reaction: desire, surprise, empathy, anger, frustration, relief. Emotions are no longer merely an effect of the narrative; they become its raw material. And perhaps this is where the true innovation lies. The duanju doesn't simply tell a story adapted to smartphones and their uses. It is designed for an environment where attention is captured less by information than by emotional intensity. This intuition aligns with sociologist Eva Illouz's analyses of the growing role of emotions in contemporary economies. Emotions are no longer solely experienced individually; they circulate, are exchanged, shared, and create value. From this perspective, major Asian cultural innovations of recent decades could be understood as emotional infrastructures—systems designed to produce, amplify, and circulate emotions on a massive scale. This likely explains, in part, their ability to become global standards. Cultural standards don't prevail simply because they tell better stories. They prevail because they better reflect how an era feels, communicates, and interacts. The global success of emojis was never about pictograms. And the success of duanju is probably not due to short, vertical series. In both these examples, we are witnessing the same revolution: the emergence of formats optimized for the emotional economy of the digital age. If this is the case, duanju is not simply a new trend from China. It could be one of the first cultural formats fully designed for a society where emotion has become the primary unit of circulation, attention, and value. Thus, duanju not only heralds the future of audiovisual and digital entertainment, but also tells us something more fundamental about the future of our interactions themselves. Article written by Maëlle Billant #MaelleBillant

The rise in quality of duanju also involves works capable of combining thematic ambition with popular success. In 2023, Escape from the British Museum (逃出大英博物馆) became one of the most striking examples of this evolution, attracting the attention of media, academics, and cultural institutions. The series gently and humorously addresses a sensitive subject in China: the issue of historical objects and cultural treasures held in foreign museum collections. After the mysterious disappearance of a relic from the British Museum, a young woman appears on the streets of London with a single obsession: to return to China. The viewer gradually discovers that she is the embodiment of a Chinese treasure kept abroad for generations. This quest for home becomes a metaphor for the fate of many heritage objects scattered across the globe. The series was created by Chinese video artists Xiatian Meimei and Yang Qianyun (夏天妹妹) and Jianbing Guozi and Zhang Jiajun (煎饼果仔), who also play the two main roles. Xiatian Meimei portrays the young woman at the center of the story, while Jianbing Guozi plays Zhang Yong'an, the journalist who accompanies her on her journey back to China. While duanju are often associated with vertical series in 9:16 format, the Chinese market is more diverse. Escape from the British Museum was filmed in landscape format, a common choice for historical or cultural works that require more space for sets and staging while maintaining the fast-paced storytelling characteristic of short-form content. The series' tone is surprising in its simple and sometimes humorous approach, centered on the relationship between the two main characters. This simplicity makes the story accessible and explains its appeal beyond the usual circles interested in heritage issues. According to several international sources, Escape from the British Museum surpassed 300 million views in just a few days and became a true cultural phenomenon in China. To discover the series, here is a compilation available on YouTube: Having become a true phenomenon, the series has attracted the attention of several major international media outlets. The Independent investigated how the series has reignited the debate surrounding the Chinese artifacts held at the British Museum: The Art Newspaper analyzed the viral success of the work from the perspective of heritage and the circulation of works of art: In France, Paris Match also devoted an article to the series, presented as an offbeat fiction advocating for the return of Chinese artifacts held at the British Museum: The duanju format, often criticized for its commercial and caricatured aspects, demonstrates with this example that a very short format can support an ambitious narrative and resonate far beyond its initial audience. The success of Escape from the British Museum also illustrates the emergence of works capable of addressing historical, cultural, or heritage-related topics while maintaining the accessibility that is the strength of short-form content.

By 2025, the global market for duanju reached $11 billion in revenue, with over $9 billion generated in China. In just a few years, this format, which originated on smartphones, has become one of the most dynamic segments of the global audiovisual industry. In China, the sector's largest market, revenues increased from 37.39 billion yuan in 2023 (approximately $5.15 billion) to 50.44 billion yuan in 2024 (approximately $6.95 billion). It was in 2024 that the sector surpassed the Chinese box office for traditional cinema for the first time. Growth isn't measured solely by revenue. By the end of 2024, duanju had approximately 662 million users in China, representing nearly 60% of the country's internet users. The sector is also estimated to have contributed to the creation of over 647,000 direct and indirect jobs. This trend now extends far beyond China's borders. Platforms like DramaBox, ReelShort, ShortMax, and GoodShort are expanding their operations in North America, Europe, and several emerging markets. They are investing in local productions while maintaining the narrative elements that have made the format successful. Primarily funded by subscriptions and in-app purchases, more than 60% of the sector's global revenue now comes from these payment models. According to Omdia, the global market could reach $14 billion by 2026, with nearly $3 billion of that outside of China. This growth illustrates the accelerating adoption of the format internationally, while duanju have already become a major sector of digital entertainment in China.

France operates one of the world's most interventionist audiovisual funding systems. Through the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), part of the revenue generated by broadcasters is reinvested into content creation. Often presented as a pillar of the French cultural exception, this model has long supported film and television. But adapting it to the digital economy remains an open challenge. It is in this context that the suspension of the CNC Talent program has reignited debate over the place of web-native creation within French cultural policy. Beyond the domestic controversy, the issue raises a question relevant to the global audiovisual industry: how should creation be funded in an era of global platforms and mobile-first consumption? The CNC Talent program sought to apply the French model of support for creative works to the web. But unlike cinema, digital platforms are not dedicated to fiction, documentaries, or animation. They combine audiovisual works with news content, entertainment, influencer content, educational material, and services. This hybrid nature makes it more difficult to apply a funding model that was originally designed to support clearly identified cultural works. At the same time, the duanju, or microdrama, market is growing rapidly. In China, these short-form series designed for smartphone viewing have reached an industrial scale. During the Grand Debate at the La Rochelle Fiction Festival in September 2025, CNC President Gaëtan Bruel noted that the Chinese microdrama market had surpassed the country's box office revenues. On that occasion, he also stressed the importance of "following and understanding these trends," while describing microdramas as a "perfect counterexample" to the vision of creation traditionally promoted by the CNC. A few months later, during the 2026 Creation Day event, he referred to "highly standardized content" driven by "addictive mechanisms." This criticism of addiction nevertheless raises a question of consistency: where should the line be drawn between a cultural work and an engagement-driven product? The CNC already funds the video game industry, a sector where user retention, progression, and loyalty mechanisms often play a central role. It is also worth noting that the duanju format relies on a fiction-driven business model that is far more structured than those of many digital platforms and social networks. Companies such as ReelShort and DramaBox control the entire value chain, from production and distribution to monetization, within closed applications designed specifically for serialized content. The debate over how to fund digital creation was reignited in early June by Justine Ryst, Managing Director of YouTube France. During a hearing before the French Senate, she noted that the Video Services Tax generates more than €44 million per year, while only €3 million was allocated to CNC Talent. She also called for a reform of the program. France has already integrated streaming platforms into its audiovisual funding system. Since the SMAD decree came into force in 2021, platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ have been required to invest a portion of their revenue generated in France in French and European productions. If this regulatory approach is carried through to its logical conclusion, duanju could eventually enter the scope of policymakers' discussions as well. Even if the format does not currently align with the CNC's stated priorities, its international growth and increasingly structured business model may make the issue harder and harder to ignore. Article written by Guillaume Sanjorge #GuillaumeSanjorge

On April 26, 2026, DramaBox, one of the world's leading duanju platforms, announced the opening of its advertising inventory to programmatic buying through a partnership with The Trade Desk, one of the world's largest players in digital advertising. Advertisers can now purchase advertising space on DramaBox using the same tools they use for connected TV, video platforms, and major digital media. This integration gives DramaBox access to a much larger international advertising market than campaigns negotiated directly with brands. For the platform, this development provides a new source of revenue to complement episode purchases and subscriptions. This is a significant opportunity in a sector where user acquisition costs remain high and competition continues to intensify. Other players are also exploring this avenue. In China, Xiaomi launched the Weiguan Duanju app with free access supported by advertising. Platforms like ShortMax and GoodShort also offer some of their content for free to broaden their audience. Advertising is thus playing an increasingly important role in the duanju economy. Long focused on microtransactions, duanju platforms are gradually adopting revenue models closer to those of video streaming. With this partnership, DramaBox continues this evolution while strengthening its appeal to major international media buyers. As the audience for duanju grows globally, major players in digital advertising are increasingly interested in this market, with DramaBox now being one of the most visible platforms outside of China.

Note: Despite their similar names, shortflix.net and Shortflix India are two separate entities with no known connection to each other, and their activities and operations differ. The information presented in this article relates exclusively to shortflix.net. The international expansion of duanju is also beginning to raise new issues surrounding distribution rights. Several series originally released on official platforms now appear to be republished on third-party websites without clear attribution or any identifiable licensing agreement. This is notably the case for the French series Les aventures avec ma voisine, also distributed under its English title Next Door Adventure. Produced by Sanjorge Production, the series was recently found on the platform shortflix.net without any known authorization from the production company. According to information obtained by Duanju News, Stardust TV has reportedly confirmed its intention to initiate legal proceedings against shortflix.net. Other platforms also appear to be affected by the situation, as their catalogs are referenced on the platform, including FlickReels, ReelShort, DramaShorts, CandyJar, NetShort, ShortTV, DramaTV, MinuteDrama and FlexTV. Unlike simple indexing websites, shortflix.net directly monetizes the series available on its platform, using a model similar to that of official microdrama applications. This situation comes at a time when some creators are already facing automated copyright claims on official platforms. As a result, identifying rights holders within the international duanju ecosystem could become a significant issue for the industry. With the global rise of the vertical format, the protection of creative works, licensing rights, and the unauthorized circulation of content could quickly become a major challenge for the duanju industry.

Ranking of YouTube Channels Offering Duanju (also known as Micro Drama) Based on Subscriber Count, as of May 12, 2026. By clicking on the channel name below, you can access it directly. Rank Name YouTube Subscribers 1 DramaBox 14,2M 2 ReelShort 13,7M 3 DramaWave 5,3M 4 NetShort 5,08M 5 GoodShort 1,72M 6 My Drama 1,29M 7 StardustTV 885K 8 Drama Bites 665K 9 ShortMax 632K 10 PineDrama 563K 11 SnackShort 535K 12 MoboReels Shorts 530K 13 Story TV 508K 14 KALOS TV 470K 15 Vigloo 402K 16 HoneyReels 294K 17 DramaPops 190K 18 ZeroShort 157K 19 Best Short Series Collection 152K 20 SHRT - Short Drama & Movies 148K 21 Drama flow 133K 22 Cool Drama 130K 23 JoyReels 128K 24 LoveShots 125K 25 ShortsWave Official 122K 26 DomiReel 106K 27 SaltyTV 102K An omission? Contact our editorial team: studio-phoceen@hotmail.fr

Harlequin, one of the world's largest romance publishers and a subsidiary of HarperCollins, will adapt 40 of its stories into duanju series as part of an agreement signed with Dashverse. The productions will be broadcast on DashReels, a platform specializing in vertical mobile series. The partnership envisions animated adaptations from the Harlequin catalog, built over decades around popular romance. The publisher boasts a massive library of titles already familiar to an international audience, with characters, worlds, and narrative conventions easily adaptable to the short-form mobile format. The stories will be divided into short, vertical episodes, following the model popularized by DramaBox, ReelShort, and ShortMax. Dashverse, for its part, is leveraging Frameo, its AI-powered production tool, to accelerate episode production and content distribution. The agreement directly connects a major intellectual property holder with a specialized vertical distribution platform. The industrial appeal of the partnership lies primarily in Harlequin's scale. The company has been publishing romance novels worldwide for over 75 years and already possesses a catalog structured for serialization. The duanju model allows existing novels to be transformed into ongoing mobile content without starting from scratch in terms of editorial development. The convergence between traditional publishing and vertical drama platforms is becoming increasingly visible. Catalogue owners are now seeking formats capable of quickly producing high-volume mobile adaptations. Sources: • Harlequin – March 30, 2026 • Publishers Weekly – March 30, 2026 • C21Media – March 31, 2026

The screening of the series King Gandolfi took place on May 7, 2026, in Toulon at the Chalucet Media Library, as part of the MEDSERIES Club. Organized by Quattrocento in partnership with the City of Toulon, the event offered an immersion into several formats of contemporary serialized storytelling on the eve of the Cannes Film Festival. Presented as the opening screening, King Gandolfi is an offbeat medieval comedy series following a King confronted with trials involving mystery, honor, and power. Between a sacred medallion, betrayals, and unexplained disappearances, each situation contributes to building the legend of a ruler as unpredictable as he is unsuited to his own role. Filmed in the south of France, the series makes use of numerous natural and historical locations, including the Roquefavour Aqueduct in Ventabren, the Château de Tarascon, Daudet’s Mill in Fontvieille, the calanques of Marseille, the Mill of Régusse, and the Saracen tower of Cournonterral. Created by Guillaume Sanjorge, the series features Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Marthe Villalonga, Laurent Artufel, Anthony Joubert, Michel La Rosa, Stéphane Martinet, Sébastien Bugeja, Cyril Etesse, François Viette, Rémi Barrero, Nicolas Tacussel, Roger Nicolas, Jordan Deluxe, Karine Lima, Claudia Notte, Alexandre Thibault, Aurèle Barbieri, Sami Bentayeb, Gérald Michiara, and Raphael Forte. Designed for mobile viewing with short episodes, King Gandolfi was presented as a work adapted to the Duanju format, a model of vertical mini-series particularly popular in China. The screening highlighted how the South of France region is currently experimenting with new hybrid audiovisual formats combining digital distribution and theatrical experience. The MEDSERIES Club program continued with Buddy Bob, a mini-series written and directed by Anne Loriot, followed by Paoliwood, a series recounting the ambitious attempt to introduce Pascal Paoli to Mel Gibson. Together, the screenings offered more than two hours of programming blending humor, intimate storytelling, and projects deeply rooted in Mediterranean cultures. Guillaume Sanjorge and Michel La Rosa at MEDSERIES How MEDSERIES discovered the Duanju format Even before watching King Gandolfi among the projects submitted to the MEDSERIES Club, one of the festival organizers recalls hearing about these Chinese mini-series for the first time in a context completely unrelated to the professional Duanju industry. During a casual conversation, someone described these short-form series watched on smartphones during daily commutes. A few hours later, upon discovering King Gandolfi among the selected works, he realized that the series perfectly matched this rapidly emerging narrative format.