As short dramas that deliver dramatic developments and intense immersion in a short time grow rapidly, domestic corporations are expanding related investments. Korea's short drama market is still in its infancy, but demand is rising mainly in China, the United States, and Southeast Asia, so domestic corporations are establishing production systems and accelerating efforts to target the global market.
According to the content and tech industries on the 11th, a short drama refers to ultra-short video content in the form of a drama that runs about 1 to 3 minutes per episode and consists of a total of 30 to 100 episodes. It features a vertical screen optimized for mobile and fast pacing. Because it has to captivate viewers in a short time and prompt them to click the next episode, it mainly deals with provocative themes such as romance, makjang, and revenge. Unlike ordinary dramas, which portray characters' psychology and build narrative over 40 to 60 minutes per episode, it drives the plot around core emotions and events.
Most major short drama platforms, such as Dramabox, ReelShort, and DramaWave, are Chinese corporations. Like webtoons, the first 5 to 10 episodes are free, but after that, they generate revenue through a structure in which viewers can watch after making a payment or viewing ads.
Short dramas, which had little presence just five years ago, have emerged as a new content powerhouse alongside the popularization of short-form (short videos) content such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. Viewers who have become accustomed to short, immersive short-form content are now starting to consume dramas in a similar format.
According to research firm Media Partners Asia, global short drama market sales grew from $5 billion (about 7.2 trillion won) in 2023 to $12 billion (about 17.4 trillion won) last year, and are expected to reach $26 billion (about 38 trillion won) in 2030.
China currently accounts for 70% to 80% of the global short drama market, but the industry estimates that the short drama market excluding China will reach $9.5 billion (about 13.78 trillion won) in four years. Among markets outside China, the introduction of short dramas has begun to increase in earnest in the United States, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Korea, research firm Omdia analyzed. The domestic short drama market size is estimated at about 650 billion won as of last year.
Domestic corporations also see high growth potential for short dramas and are expanding investment and production. Krafton made a strategic investment in Spoon Labs, which operates the short drama platform Vigloo. After acquiring 120 billion won in Spoon Labs equity in 2024 and bringing it in as an affiliate, it invested an additional 19 billion won last month.
Vigloo, which currently has more than 350 short drama titles, established a branch in Los Angeles last month and began targeting the U.S. market. As of last year, Vigloo generated more than 70% of its total sales overseas, including the United States, so starting this year, it plans to more than double production of original content tailored to North American viewers' tastes.
Webtoon and book platform Ridi launched the short drama platform Kanta in Japan in Sep. last year. Kanta is part of Ridi's intellectual property (IP) expansion strategy and aims to deliver the sensibility and fun of Korean-style drama content in a condensed format. Ridi CEO Bae Gi-sik said, "Following web novels and webtoons, we are expanding our business to short dramas in a content format suited to the times," and added, "Starting with Kanta, we will strengthen the competitiveness of K-content in the Japanese market in the short drama field."
Naver Webtoon is partnering with LG Uplus's production affiliate Studio X+U to produce popular webtoons as short dramas. Tving created a dedicated short drama section in Aug. last year and unveiled five self-produced original short dramas.
Compared with existing dramas, a shorter production cycle and lower production costs are cited as strengths of short dramas. A source at a domestic short drama production company said, "The production cost per episode of a regular drama is around 1.5 billion won, but a short drama can be made for 50 million won." As for production time, whereas a regular drama takes at least one year, a short drama takes as little as two weeks and at most two to three months. Adrian Cheung, chair of short-form corporation Krisp Momentum, said, "The average production cost of a short drama is under 150 million won, and production is completed in one to two months."
Recently, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in production has increased, making additional expense reductions possible. Vigloo said it recently applied AI across short dramas, cutting visual effects and location shooting costs by more than 90% compared with before, and halving production time.
Korea is a latecomer in the short drama market, but the industry expects that, with already solid drama and content production capabilities, it can expand its influence in the global market with differentiated content.
Spoon Labs CEO Choi Hyuk-jae said, "Short dramas have gone beyond simple snack culture to establish themselves as new everyday content for binge-watching," and added, "This year, we will strengthen storytelling and present even more compelling short dramas."