How China’s 90-Second Dramas Are Taking Over U.S. Phones | WSJ

TL;DR

Chinese-born microdramas—90-second melodramatic phone episodes—are conquering American screens because they fit idle moments Netflix never could.

Key Points

• 1.ReelShort, launched by Chinese tech veteran Joey Jia, briefly overtook TikTok as the #1 entertainment app on the US Apple Store in late 2023 after hits like "Faded to my Forbidden Alpha" went viral.
• 2.Microdramas are radically cheap and fast: a 60–90 episode series shoots in 7–10 days for up to $300,000, versus Netflix's "Squid Game" Season 1 which cost $21M+ over seven months.
• 3.The business model hooks viewers with free early episodes, then charges ~20 cents per unlocked episode or via weekly/monthly subscriptions; ReelShort's parent company doubled revenue between 2024 and 2025.
• 4.ReelShort uses real-time viewer data—tracking engagement, drop-off points, and purchase behavior—to refine scripts, twists, and storytelling within a three-month feedback loop.
• 5.The US microdrama market is intensifying: ReelShort produced ~400 shows in 2025 and plans 600 in 2026, while rivals DramaBox, GoodShort, and TikTok's new PineDrama are all aggressively expanding.