Marketers invest in microdramas amid 42% daily viewership
Marketers are investing in microdramas, with 42% of daily social media users reporting they watch these short dramas each day. Brands such as Bob’s Discount Furniture have reported over 152 million views and nearly $9 million in attributable sales from a microdrama series.
Microdramas appear on short-form, vertical video apps such as ReelShort and DramaBox, where in-app ad revenues rose 31% to $130 million and 29% to $120 million respectively in Q1 2025. Industry executives say a microseries that gains 500,000 views without earned media is seen as a failure, while one that reaches 200,000 views with $2 million in earned media and a commerce conversion counts as a win. Marketers track engagement, brand perception, video completion rates, earned media value and content-to-commerce conversion rather than relying solely on traditional metrics.
“A microseries that drives 500,000 views but receives no earned media is considered a failure, but a microseries that garners 200,000 views and manages $2 million in earned media and a commerce conversion is considered a win,” Geneva Wasserman, evp and head of entertainment, IP strategy and financing, at dentsu said.
Before the current surge, marketers experimented with formats like Quibi, which launched in April 2020 and shut down six months later. Microdramas have been popular in China and are now gaining traction in the U.S., with brands such as Crocs, Nuuly and P&G’s Native producing their own short-form series.
What we know
42% of daily social media users report watching microdramas daily
Bob’s Discount Furniture’s microdrama series garnered more than 152 million video views
Bob’s Discount Furniture’s microdrama series drove nearly $9 million in attributable sales
In-app ad revenues for ReelShort grew 31% in Q1 2025 to $130 million
In-app ad revenues for DramaBox grew 29% in Q1 2025 to $120 million