Multiple Regions Launch Policies to Support Micro-Short Drama "Going Global"

Source: Securities Daily Author: Li Haoyue

Since 2026, micro-short dramas have been welcomed with supportive policies for going global. In March alone, multiple regions introduced relevant support policies to help Chinese micro-short dramas expand overseas.

Specifically, on March 17, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports issued the “Operational Guidelines for Supporting Micro-Short Dramas in High-Quality Development Projects to Promote Digital Creative Industries.” Projects that go overseas can receive up to 3 million yuan in funding, sci-fi themed works are eligible for a 50% increase in funding, and works applying new technologies like AIGC can receive an additional up to 2 million yuan.

DataEye Research Institute Director Liu Zun told Securities Daily that Shenzhen’s policy focuses on profitability for going global, directly addressing industry pain points, breaking the single support logic, and truly encouraging projects capable of sustained commercial profitability to go abroad.

On March 10, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism announced the Shanghai Micro-Short Drama “Fanhua” 3.0 Plan, which focuses on content review, filming services, and industry support. The plan will further simplify review procedures, shorten review times, and help micro-short drama companies expand their content reserves and quickly recoup funds. Filing and online release registration will be handled on a workday basis, with a “2+5” review mechanism: planning registration reviewed and feedback within 2 working days, and online release registration reviewed and feedback within 5 working days. Additionally, a “Shoot in Shanghai” one-stop service alliance will be established, and the first edition of the “Shanghai Micro-Short Drama Shooting Guide (2026 Edition)” will be released, selecting 96 new filming locations suitable for micro-short dramas and establishing a sound location recommendation mechanism.

Furthermore, Shanghai Pudong New Area will build an AI animation industry hub and create a micro-short drama “going global” base, with special policies offering up to 5 million yuan in platform subsidies and 6 million yuan in content support.

In fact, the overseas micro-short drama market is undergoing profound changes. DataEye shows that the overseas micro-short drama market size will reach $4 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $5 billion in 2026. Amid high growth, the market also faces new challenges.

DataEye Vice President Lin Qiwen said, “The market has shifted from rapid growth to a reshuffle and adjustment stage. The pattern of the strong remaining strong is relatively fixed, and the entry barriers for new players are higher.”

“Chinese companies’ leading position mainly comes from their first-mover advantage and mature advertising and traffic algorithms, which are difficult for overseas competitors to replicate in the short term. However, this advantage is not secure,” Liu Zun stated. “Chinese micro-short drama producers must accelerate their move toward high-quality content, deepen localization, and build original IP capabilities. Transitioning from mode export to content and industrialization capability export is essential to build a long-term moat.”

(Edited by: Wen Jing)

Keywords: Short Drama