Blue Book of China TV 2025 Maps Industry Reinvention as Microdramas Rewrite Economics
At TIFFCOM, the China 2025 TV Blue Book unveiled a quality-driven renewal as microdramas reshape viewing habits and long-form storytelling evolves. The report, launched at the Tokyo International Film Festival’s TIFFCOM market by Peking University’s Chen Xuguang and Zhejiang University’s Fan Zhizhong, highlights an industry undergoing structural changes and creative revitalization.
Despite global economic uncertainty and intense competition from short-video and gaming platforms, drama registrations rose in 2024, indicating sustained investor confidence in long-form television. The Blue Book identifies a quality-focused transformation as the sector’s main trend, emphasizing stronger storytelling, diversified intellectual property (IP), and upgraded production standards.
Dominance of IP Adaptation and Source Material
IP adaptation continues to be the dominant force, accounting for roughly 60% of new scripted series. Literary works and online fiction remain crucial sources of content, fueling character-driven, high-quality dramas like “The Tale of Rose,” “War of Faith,” and “The Misplaced.”
Creative Themes and Genre Trends
Warm realism stays central to the creative direction, with titles such as “She and Her Girls,” “Romance in the Alley,” and “A Common Person’s Song” combining social critique with hopeful emotional tones. Meanwhile, costume dramas are adapting to faster pacing and modular storytelling methods inspired by online short-form videos.
Market Growth
The Blue Book reports rapid growth in China’s mini-series market, expanding from RMB 36.86 billion (approximately $5.1 billion) in 2021 to RMB 373.9 billion. This surge underlines the commercial potential of the evolving microdrama format.
“A quality-driven transformation anchored by stronger storytelling, diversified IP, and improved production standards defines the sector’s direction.”
“IP adaptation accounts for about 60% of new scripted series.”
Author's summary: China’s TV industry is rapidly transforming through microdramas and quality storytelling, with IP adaptation and evolving formats driving strong market growth despite global challenges.