By Jessilyn Lancaster
A new trend of watching “microdramas” grows like wildfire online, but the fascination isn’t finding it’s most popular crowd on TikTok. The highest viewership can be found on none other than YouTube.
Microdramas are defined as “vertically filmed, under minute-long clips that together are often movie-length soap operas.” The compilation of clips usually begins free, but then subscriptions need to be purchased in order to continue to the conclusion of the stories. Some popular apps include ReelShort, FlickReels and DramaBox.
The Hollywood Reported shared that “nearly half (44 percent) of those who have consumed the trendy format doing so on YouTube. While vertical video may feel like the domain of TikTok (and to some degree it is: TikTok captures 38 percent of all microdrama views), YouTube’s sheer scale makes it so difficult to overcome.”
Microdramas are a $5 billion industry which first rose to popularity in China. Some microdramas have been banned in certain countries due to inappropriate content, so it’s important for people to be mindful of what they are watching.
ReelShort even took to Instagram to express their gratitude for the rising popularity in their industry.
You would think that these short-form dramas would pose a threat to Hollywood, but TheVerge reported that some creators are joining them. “Cineverse and Banyan Ventures have teamed up on a new service dubbed MicroCo, E! Entertainment Television founder Alan Mruvka is getting ready to launch the microdrama app Verza TV, and Fox has invested in Holywater, the startup behind the microdrama app My Drama,” the outlet explained.
Despite their demand, microdramas come with a steep price, some even costing $19.99 per week or $200 a year. TheVerge noted that this is a similar model to that of “free-to-play games.”
Sasha Kaletsky, managing partner at Creator Ventures, opened up about the frustrating pricing of these dramas. “I call this ‘aggressive freemium’ because, although some content is available for free, it is made so unpleasant to use the free version… that paying has almost become a requirement.”
This has led to negative reviews of the platforms, despite viewers enjoying the stories. However, microdramas continue to thrive.
It’s no surprise that YouTube is taking the lead in microdramas when it’s taking the lead overall. Nielsen’s The Gauge reported that for the month of September, YouTube was the highest streamed platform, amassing 12.6% of all viewership. This has been a steady trend with YouTube, leaving other platforms struggling to beat it.
So are microdramas worth it? If you want to overpay for content, sure. However there are much more wholesome options available for a fraction of the price.
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