How micro dramas work ‘like a TikTok trend’, leaving big studios in their dust
The head of a Chinese micro drama company shares how studios behind short-form shows for phones use data to keep viewers hooked
Like video games, micro dramas can be super addictive. And Timothy Oh, general manager of the Chinese digital content company COL Group, knows exactly how to get viewers hooked.
And while conventional TV drama series now often rely on streaming subscriptions, micro dramas follow the freemium gaming model. Audiences can watch a small number of episodes for free, then have to either watch ads or buy gems and tokens to keep watching.
“If you value your time, you use money to buy it, just like in gaming, where you pay to skip the daily grind for coins and upgrades,” Oh says. “If you don’t have the time to wait, you simply pay for it.”
Oh began his career as a filmmaker before going on to work in marketing for Sony Pictures between 2014 and 2017.
It was around that time, when streaming platforms started to disrupt the cable TV business in the United States, that he became a general manager at Microgaming, a company known for its mobile gaming apps. He stayed there for seven years.