AI is speeding up production of microdramas in China

In short: AI tools are being used to make large numbers of China’s microdramas much faster and at a fraction of the cost.

What's going on

Microdramas are very short, episode-based stories made for phones, like a TV series broken into bite-sized clips. They are popular on apps such as Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese version) and Hongguo.

According to reporting highlighted by The New York Times, AI-made microdramas are now being released at a huge pace. In March 2026 alone, more than 50,000 AI-generated microdrama titles were released on Douyin. In January 2026, a new AI microdrama was launching about every 90 seconds on some streaming platforms.

The main reason is cost and speed. Producers say AI can cut production time from about three months to about one month. Costs can drop to one-fifth, or even one-tenth, of what it would cost to shoot with real actors and real locations. Some companies now set aside around 30 percent of a project’s budget for AI help with scripts, scenes, editing, and characters, and they say this can raise output by 3 to 5 times.

Government and industry rules are also shaping the trend. Some local governments subsidize production hubs, with support reported as high as 2 million yuan per drama. China’s National Radio and Television Administration uses a tiered review system to regulate content.

What to watch

The market is expected to keep growing, with projections of more than 120 billion yuan in 2026, which could be larger than China’s theatrical box office. A key question is whether audiences will keep watching as quantity rises, or whether platforms will reward better stories and more emotional realism over sheer volume.

Source: NYTimes