At a State Council Information Office press conference held in Beijing on September 17th, authorities outlined plans for high-quality development in the radio, television, and online audiovisual sectors during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Wang Xiaoliang, Director of the Network Audiovisual Program Management Department at the National Radio and Television Administration, announced the deepening of a plan to cultivate premium micro drama creations, guiding platforms to establish dedicated sections for live-action series and allocating capital to support quality productions, ensuring that outstanding works receive appropriate market rewards.
Regarding the current dominance of AI-generated dramas, the regulator is balancing encouragement of innovation with safeguarding fundamental principles. AI-produced content must now carry explicit labeling, and platforms are required to strictly enforce rules on the authorized use of likenesses and voices, maintaining thorough oversight throughout the entire production pipeline. Wang emphasized that AI is ultimately a tool, while humans remain the core creators, and that the faster AI dramas develop, the more critical it becomes to maintain stringent content quality control.
The micro drama sector has seen continuous expansion in recent years, establishing itself as a major component of the nation's emerging cultural landscape. Data released at the press conference revealed that the user base for micro dramas has surpassed 800 million nationwide, with the market scale exceeding the 100 billion yuan threshold in 2025. During the first eight months of this year, a staggering 430,000 micro dramas were launched across the internet, a thirteenfold increase compared to the entire previous year. Notably, over 90% of these are AI-generated, demonstrating the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into the production phase.
This explosive growth has brought content-related problems to the forefront. This year, regulatory bodies have intensified campaigns against harmful and vulgar material, content with negative influences on children, and copyright infringements. Enforcement actions have led to the removal of 68,000 non-compliant micro dramas from the internet, with platforms instructed to handle more than 1,200 violating accounts. More than 90% of the content subjected to these measures was AI-generated.
In response, leading industry players have begun ramping up their investments in live-action micro dramas. At the 13th China Online Audiovisual Conference in April, Hongguo Short Drama announced the establishment of a 500 million yuan special fund dedicated to supporting live-action shorts. Concurrently, they launched a "Thousand Projects Plan" focused on realistic themes, with the goal of fostering the creation of at least 1,000 live-action micro dramas that depict everyday life throughout the year.
Numerous production companies are also restructuring their project portfolios, shifting their focus toward crafting high-quality live-action content. For instance, Xiamen Jujing Media Co., Ltd., which had previously pivoted entirely to AI-generated productions, has now recalibrated its business strategy in response to market feedback. The company is adopting a dual-track approach, developing both live-action and AI dramas while placing greater emphasis on refining premium live-action projects and aiming to build long-term intellectual properties. This strategic adjustment aligns with the regulatory direction and addresses users' demand for compelling, high-caliber storytelling.
Yang Huaiyu, a senior researcher at Shanghai Xiazhiliangshi Consulting and Management Co., Ltd., stated that vigorously supporting live-action micro dramas is a key lever for high-quality industry growth. Live-action productions possess inherent strengths in character development, narrative expression, and emotional connection, making them more capable of yielding enduring, premium content. Currently, AI serves primarily as a production tool, aiding in cost reduction and efficiency gains, but it cannot replicate the creative thinking and judgment of human beings.
A founder of a Beijing-based micro drama company explained that the industry's long-term development cannot rely solely on quantitative expansion; it necessitates a foundation of premium content. The regulator's clear endorsement of live-action micro dramas provides definitive direction for the sector. The market has seen an influx of AI-generated dramas that compete for viewer attention through rapid mass production, leading to significant issues with homogeneity and substandard quality. Directing resources toward high-quality live-action works is not a rejection of AI technology but rather a means to compel the industry to refocus on content substance. This policy will drive the sector away from a crude volume-driven model and toward a virtuous cycle powered by superior content creation.
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