Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded intoa multi-billion dollar business.They’recalled “microdramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. The leading app,ReelShort, made$1.2 billionin consumer spending last year alone.
On this episode of TechCrunch’sEquitypodcast,Rebecca Bellan and TechCrunch senior reporter AmandaSilberlingsit down with Henry Soong, founder of Watch Club, who thinks the microdrama industry is still “in itsMySpaceera.”Hehas a vision for what the Facebook moment could look like.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- Why microdramas took off in China while Quibiburned through$2 billionand failedin the U.S., and what that gap reveals about content, product, and business model.
- How Watch Club is targeting a completely different audience thanReelShortand Drama Box.
- The tension between building an intentional social experience andoptimizingforengagement the way TikTok does.
- Whether AI is coming for the werewolf billionaire romance script. Amanda has thoughts.
Subscribe to Equity onYouTube,Apple Podcasts,Overcast,Spotifyand all the casts. Youalso canfollow Equity onXandThreads, at @EquityPod.
Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University.
You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing [email protected].
Rebecca Bellan is a senior reporter at TechCrunch where she covers the business, policy, and emerging trends shaping artificial intelligence. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and other publications.
You can contact or verify outreach from Rebecca by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at rebeccabellan.491 on Signal.
Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos.
You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing [email protected] via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal.