What Are Short Drama Streaming Services Exposing You To?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Short drama streaming services are taking over the industry, but viewers should be cautious about this new form of entertainment.
“Over the past couple years, dozens of new short drama streaming services have surged on to app stores, amassing tens of millions of downloads,” Wall Street Millennial reported. “Short drama apps are now generating more than $60 million of revenue per month.”
These short dramas are made to watch on phone screens and are typically made up of around 90 two-minute episodes. They’re also very low-budget, made with basic sets and “no-name actors.”
“The average short drama takes about 10 days to film and has a total production budget of about $50,000,” the report continued.
However, the content of these dramas has been described as “softcore adult films.”
“These short dramas prioritize quick, oversimplified stories of love, wealth, betrayal, and revenge, sometimes featuring mythical creatures like vampires and werewolves,” Technology Review wrote, adding that the shows can be compared to short soap operas.
Viewers are responding to this immoral content — “In the first quarter of 2023, there were 21 short drama apps available on US stores,” Wall Street Millennial stated. “By the first quarter of 2024, this has more than tripled to 66.”
TechCrunch reported it was “an over 8,000% increase,” adding, “Since then, 45 more apps have joined the market, earning approximately $245 million in gross consumer spending and reaching some 121 million downloads.”
Some are wondering why these short streaming services, like FlexTV and ReelShort, are succeeding when a similar short-video platform, Quibi, failed.
“Quibi mostly served the [artistic] pursuits of directors and producers,” Technology Review explained. “They thought their tastes were better than the general public and their work was to be appreciated by the elites. What we are making is more like fast-moving consumer goods. It’s rooted in the needs of ordinary users.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Quibi’s failure:
Only six months out from launch, founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, and CEO Meg Whitman plan to abandon the struggling streaming service, Quibi, after a failed attempt to find a buyer.
The short-form streaming service, optimized for phones, had attracted many high-profile Hollywood names and looked to revolutionize streaming media consumption with a short 5-10 minute chapter format. However, Quibi struggled to gain traction.
Katzenberg decided to cut his losses and shut down the fledgling platform at the suggestion of a restructuring firm.
Although Katzenberg points to the pandemic as the reason for Quibi’s failure, Movieguide® believes the service’s lack of family-friendly content contributed.
The majority of Quibi’s content is far from faith- or family-friendly. Many of the shows feature gratuitous language, sex, violence, and self-destructive content.
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