[Chinese micro-short dramas are becoming the fourth largest new global audio-visual product format] On October 20, the State Administration of Radio and Television released the "China-ASEAN Micro-Shorts International Communication Development Report." The report shows that micro-short dramas, as a new online audio-visual industry born in China, are changing the global audio-visual ecosystem at an alarming rate and are becoming the fourth largest global audio-visual product form after American movies, Japanese animations, and Korean TV series. China-ASEAN micro-short drama cooperation continues to deepen and has become an important carrier of China-ASEAN digital economic cooperation and cultural exchanges. The report points out that China’s micro-short drama market maintains rapid growth. In 2025, a total of 33,000 micro-short dramas will be broadcast online across the country. From January to September 2026, there will be 490,000 micro-short dramas online, which is 13 times that of the whole year of 2025. The number of users of micro-short dramas has reached 850 million, with more than 600 million monthly active users. It has become an important way of spiritual and cultural life for netizens. Overseas markets are also experiencing strong growth. In 2026, the overseas micro-short drama market outside China will exceed US$6 billion, a year-on-year increase of 67% from 2025. Chinese background platforms dominate the global market. From January to September 2026, the top 10 most downloaded micro-short drama apps in overseas markets are all Chinese backgrounds; the top 9 of the top 10 platforms in terms of in-app purchase revenue are all Chinese backgrounds. (CCTV News)