“Everybody Is Moving From Long Form to Short Form”: The Path-Dependent Definition of Successful Formats in the Chinese Streaming TV Industry

Abstract

This article focuses on the definition and redefinition of “good” and “promising” creative formats by film and television professionals. In particular, I examine how short-form content, and especially “microdramas” have recently come to be seen as the future by Chinese production and data professionals working for streaming platforms such as iQIYI, Tencent Video, Youku, and Mango TV, which have long been oriented towards the professionalized production of long-form content. I first analyze the perception shift that has led these professionals to believe that the predominance of short form has become an irreversible trend, and the changing meaning of “short form” in this context. The second section explores how this change in perception has materialized in ways that have fostered a self-reinforcing process: it is associated with the emergence of new career paths for producers and creators, new creative conventions, new economic and symbolic hierarchies between different categories of content. The conclusion of the article elaborates on the analysis of this rise of microdramas as a path dependent transformation process. I contrast what I have observed in the Chinese case with the findings of my previous work on Hollywood in this regard. This article is based on in-depth interviews with content professionals conducted in Beijing and Changsha in 2024 and 2025.