Chinese Short Dramas Going Global: A Cash-Grabbing Game or a Profitable Venture?
Recently, when chatting with friends in the short drama export industry, I realized how "deep the water is" in this field:
Many teams seem glamorous—securing tens of millions of US dollars in funding, flooding markets with advertisements, and seeing their apps soar to the top of download charts. However, the harsh reality is that most teams are not making any money at all, and their advertising budgets are completely wasted.
This begs the question:
Is the export of Chinese short dramas a "cash-grabbing game" or a "profitable venture"?
1. Why do many say it’s cash-grabbing?
Fake prosperity fueled by funding
As soon as some teams get their hands on investment, they splurge on advertising to inflate short-term data—all to craft a compelling story for their next round of funding. Yet their cash flow is totally unsustainable; once the money burns out, the team collapses.
Skyrocketing user acquisition costs
In markets like North America, Japan, and South Korea, acquiring a single user can cost dozens of US dollars. Many short drama teams fail to achieve a positive ROI (Return on Investment)—the more users they "buy," the faster they lose money.
Formulaic content and poor user retention
Common plotlines revolve around "domineering CEOs," "time travel," and "revenge." While these deliver quick "satisfaction hits," users abandon the drama just as fast. A user might spend dozens of US dollars to unlock the full series, but delete the app right after finishing it—resulting in nearly zero repurchase rates.
Short lifecycle
A short drama may be popular for a few weeks, but once advertising stops, it fades into obscurity immediately. There is no long-term sustainability.
From the outside, therefore, short drama exports often look like a joint effort by capital and teams to make a quick buck.
2. Why do others argue it can be profitable?
Real demand exists overseas
The demand for fragmented entertainment is enormous—especially in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. At just 5 minutes per episode, short dramas perfectly fit people’s fragmented free time.
Mature paid content habits
Audiences in Europe and America are already accustomed to paying for services like Netflix and Disney+. As long as a short drama is engaging enough, spending dozens of US dollars to unlock the full series seems reasonable to them.
Proven success cases
ReelShort topped entertainment app charts in North America and achieved over 10 million US dollars in monthly revenue. This proves the model is viable—it’s not just a pipe dream.
Huge future potential
If teams can create high-quality content and build IPs, short dramas could move beyond subscriptions. They might even evolve into a "global Netflix for short dramas," opening doors to film/TV adaptations and merchandise collaborations.
So, short drama exports can be profitable—it’s just that the barrier to success is much higher than expected.
3. What’s the difference between cash-grabbing and profitable ventures?
Short-term mindset: Cash-grabbing
Rely on low-quality dramas and heavy user acquisition spending to climb charts, then exit quickly after making a fast profit. Such teams cannot survive long-term.
Long-term mindset: Profitability
Willing to invest in polishing content, enhancing user experience, and building IPs to gradually move toward brand building. This is the way to turn short drama exports into a "sustainable, profitable long-term business."
Simply put, success in short drama exports comes down to one choice: chasing quick money, or embracing long-termism with patience.
Is the export of Chinese short dramas just a capital-driven "韭菜 - cutting" (cash-grabbing) game, or the next big opportunity in global entertainment?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below ??
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