China’s broadcast regulator will step up scrutiny of the country’s growing short-form web drama market

China’s broadcast regulator is seeking to tighten controls on the growing short web drama market – including a comprehensive review of each series’ cast, production, marketing and social values ​​- after months of removing more than 25,300 such online shows for violent, pornographic or vulgar content.

As part of the proposed measures, the NRTA will establish a content screening system for these short web dramas and expand oversight of these shows’ distribution networks, including dedicated apps and short video platforms, the statement said.

NRTA also plans to hold a month-long special promotion covering various areas of the short web drama market, including casting, production, marketing and distribution, and social value.

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How China Censors the Internet

How China Censors the Internet

China’s broadcasting watchdog’s sharp focus on short-form web dramas comes at a time when that market has seen rapid growth over the past two years.

About 481 short web dramas were released in the first six months of this year, according to DataWin, a film and television market consultancy. This surpassed the 454 short online shows released in all of 2022.

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Each short web drama is usually produced with a small budget, says Cai Juntao, vice chairman of Hixi Media Group, a Beijing-based content production company.

According to Cai, the budget for each show usually ranges between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan (US$27,587 and US$41,380). But marketing, which includes buying exposure and user traffic on distribution platforms, would add a million yuan or tens of millions of yuan to total spending for each short web drama, according to Cai.

“This is a trend that will continue for a long time,” said Liu Ke, director of Hixi Media, in an interview with the Post on Wednesday.

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While acknowledging that short web dramas have become a huge draw in China in a short period of time, Liu said there are clear issues in the market, including violent content, that could hamper its long-term growth.

“A lot of shows are literally based on the same script,” he said. With each new release, the audience finds themselves watching many similar shows filmed with different actors.

Hixi Vice Chairman Cai pointed out that the success of short web dramas largely depends on post-production marketing rather than content content.

“It turns the content business into a marketing or traffic buying game,” Cai said, adding that his company has no plans to enter that field.

Meanwhile, the NRTA said it pulled more than 25,300 short web dramas containing violence, pornography and vulgar content between November and February of last year. It has also created a blacklist among online platforms to block the promotion of such shows in the industry.