What’s Next for the Fast-Growing Multi-Billion-Dollar Micro Drama Industry

Over the last several years, an entirely new category of mobile apps has quietly ballooned from a niche experiment into a massive, multi-billion-dollar global business. These products are built around what the industry calls micro dramas: short-form, scripted series created exclusively for mobile use, designed to be watched vertically on a smartphone screen. The format blends the over-the-top, addictive plotting of classic soap operas with the fast, snackable rhythm of TikTok, packed with sensational, shareable storylines: secret romances with hidden billionaires, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and tight cliffhangers at the end of every 1-2 minute episode, all purpose-built to keep users tapping for more content. The segment’s current market leader, hit micro drama app ReelShort, generated a staggering $1.2 billion in consumer spending just last year.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s popular business podcast Equity, Rebecca Bellan and senior TechCrunch reporter Amanda Silberling sit down for a conversation with Henry Soong, founder of micro drama platform Watch Club. Soong argues that even with its explosive recent growth, the entire micro drama industry is still “in its MySpace era” — early, fragmented, and far from reaching its full mature, mainstream potential. He also shares his clear vision for what the industry’s “Facebook moment” — its coming leap to mass adoption and scaled, standardized growth — could look like.

You can subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. To stay updated on new episodes and the latest from the show, follow Equity on X and Threads at the official handle @EquityPod.