Soap operas, reimagined

The fastest-growing entertainment format in America does not live on Netflix or network television. It lives on your phone

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The entertainment format growing fastest in America right now doesn't star anyone you've heard of. It isn't on Netflix $NFLX or network television. Each episode runs about a minute, the production budgets are a rounding error by Hollywood standards, and the plotlines lean heavily on billionaire CEOs, forbidden romance, and revenge arcs.

Welcome to microdramas, the vertical-video serialized stories that users watch on apps like ReelShort, DramaBox, and TikTok's new standalone entry, PineDrama. What started as a pandemic-era phenomenon in China has crossed the Pacific and is now reshaping how Americans consume scripted entertainment on their phones.

In-app revenue for short drama apps hit nearly $3 billion in 2025, a 115% year-over-year jump, according to Sensor Tower. Globally, microdrama revenues reached $11 billion last year and will climb to $14 billion by the end of 2026, according to media analyst Omdia. The United States is now the........

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