Jennifer Cooper stumbled upon her first vertical drama while browsing TikTok.
An advertisement for a dramatic series unfolded the story: a woman seeking revenge on her unfaithful boyfriend and cruel family by seducing her boyfriend’s affluent uncle.
The themes of jealousy and romance resonated with Cooper, reminiscent of the Chinese dramas she enjoys. She eagerly watched all the brief episodes before subscribing to see the conclusion.
In the end, the woman found love and defeated her oppressive family. Intrigued by these billionaire romances, tough bosses, and vengeful vampires, Cooper began reviewing and creating content on such series online.
Welcome to the realm of microdramas – exaggerated tales presented in one- to two-minute segments in a vertical format, directly on your mobile device.
Various apps are dedicated to this content, heavily promoted on social platforms like TikTok. Although each video is short, the complete narrative unfolds across numerous clips, resembling a movie divided into parts.
Despite the predictable plots, these videos are gaining significant attention, attracting interest from producers and talent in Canada venturing into this new medium.
Growing Trend in Asia
For individuals in the North American entertainment sector like television journalist Elaine Low, the format evokes memories of Quibi, the short-video streaming platform that folded in 2020 after a brief run.
Although the concept didn’t succeed in North America, Low notes its popularity in China in recent years.
Reportedly, the microdrama industry in China generated $7 billion US in 2024, surpassing the country’s box office revenue. Japan and South Korea have also embraced this trend, with the global microdrama industry projected to reach $9.5 billion US by 2030.
“This industry has flourished in Asia for years and is only now making its way into North America over the past year or so,” Low stated.
Even major Hollywood studios are beginning to take notice. Fox recently entered a deal with microdrama producer Holywater, while DramaBox, another vertical production company, secured investment and partnership opportunities from Disney’s accelerator program last year.
