WeChat is upgrading short dramas from a "mini-program" feature to a "platform-level distribution" channel.
On November 12, some users noticed that a "Short Drama" entry point had been added to the "Top Stories" feature on WeChat's Discover page. Through this entry, users can view short dramas they have recently watched. The entry is mainly designed to make it easier for users to find high-quality short drama content they enjoy, and to help creators get their good content seen by more people. The feature is currently in grayscale testing, and only some users can see it on WeChat's "Discover" page.
Over the past year, short dramas within WeChat have mainly relied on mini-programs and spontaneous user sharing. On October 14, Tencent quietly launched "Lvpiaopiao Short Drama," which focuses on "free good dramas, watch with one tap" and was introduced by WeChat's short drama content center, requiring no separate app download. Lvpiaopiao Short Drama is divided into three sections: "Free Theater," "Swipe," and "Mine." Under "Free Theater," there are categories such as AI dramas, live-action dramas, daily new releases, animated dramas, must-watch this week, and million-view shows. Its business model is fully free content with monetization through ads inserted between episodes; the platform itself does not produce content, with series provided by third-party short drama producers and authorized distributors, while Tencent provides the entry point and traffic and obtains authorization for content playback and display. The "Short Drama Mini-Program User Agreement" shows that the contracting entity for the service is Shenzhen Tencent Computer Systems Company Limited.
Compared with Hongguo Short Drama, Lvpiaopiao has a stronger social footprint. On its homepage, in addition to the regular rankings, there is also a "Friends Watching" recommendation slot and a regional trending list. At present, the short drama industry is in a stage of scale expansion. According to the "China-ASEAN Micro Short Drama International Communication Development Report" released by the National Radio and Television Administration on October 20, a total of 33,000 micro short dramas were launched and broadcast nationwide in 2025, and from January to September 2026 the number of launches reached 490,000, 13 times the full-year total of 2025; the user scale of micro short dramas is 850 million, with more than 600 million monthly active users. DataEye Research Institute estimates that in 2026 the combined market size of China's micro short dramas, AI dramas, and comic dramas is expected to exceed 121 billion yuan, of which AI simulated live-action dramas and comic dramas account for about 40 billion yuan.
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