Mengchen Zhang from BBC's Global China Unit reveals the explosive growth of Chinese micro-dramas, racking up billions in revenues and capturing global audiences. She dives into the outrageous plotlines and rapid production methods that make these short dramas irresistibly binge-worthy. Meanwhile, Sana Gulzar from BBC Urdu discusses the critical role of journalists in countering misinformation amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, emphasizing the challenges they face in delivering trustworthy news during crises.
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Snackable Episode Format
Micro-dramas run one to two minute episodes across 50–60 episodes per series.
Viewers often discover teasers on TikTok or Instagram before deciding to follow a series.
insights INSIGHT
Teaser-Then-Pay Monetization
Producers post one to ten free episodes as teasers on social platforms to hook viewers.
To finish a story viewers must download apps or pay subscriptions or per-episode fees.
insights INSIGHT
High-Speed, Low-Cost Shoots
Teams can shoot a full 60-episode series in 7–10 days and often film up to 10 episodes per day.
Budgets vary widely: roughly $20–30k in China but up to $200k or more in the US/UK.
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Secret billionaire husbands, blood-thirsty vampire lovers and being reborn as your great-grandmother: these are some of the outrageous plotlines that can be found in Chinese micro-dramas like My Royal Secret Lover, by producer Lin Yicheng. Micro-dramas are a Chinese short form video trend that has expanded globally, racking up hundreds of millions of downloads in the US, Asia, Latin America and Africa. It’s big business: in China last year, the micro-drama industry grossed the equivalent of seven billion US dollars, which exceeds the entire Chinese box office for 2024. A number of these series are now also being filmed overseas for English-speaking and global audiences, most of which are adapted from Chinese scripts. Mengchen Zhang from the BBC's Global China Unit explains what's behind the success of this format.
Also on the show: two BBC Language Services coming together to tackle disinformation. The relationship between neighbours India and Pakistan is well known around the world for going through periods of extreme hostility and even aggression. A deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April led to the two countries exchanging missile and drone attacks in one of the biggest escalations for about 50 years. And in times of tension, disinformation is rife. Sana Gulzar of BBC Urdu and Jugal Purohit who reports for BBC Hindi join Faranak Amidi to talk about it.
This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production.
Clips are from Spoiled by My Vampire Uncle and My Royal Secret Lover.
The Documentary Podcast