TikTok has quietly released a new microdrama app, named PineDrama, which reflects the growing interest in the short form, scripted entertainment space. Available in the United States and Brazil on both iOS and Android, PineDrama is a series of fictional content, with bite-sized videos meant for the type of viewership where people watch episode after episode.
Episodes are only minute long with TikTok’s ‘swipe’ form of experience blended with episodic storytelling. The app is currently offered at no cost, and there are no advertisements, but it could be that TikTok will have some type of monetisation in the future.
Users can browse content based on a “Discover” tab which can filter dramas based on different categories like All or Trending. The platform offers unlimited vertical recommendations based on individual tastes and includes various genres such as thriller, romance, family and drama.
Popular titles include Love at First Bite and The Officer Fell for Me. PineDrama also has Watch History, to resume on-going series, and a Favourites option for saving favourite dramas, and a comment section for audience interaction.
For immersive viewing, users can choose to switch to a full-screen mode which will eliminate the captions and sidebars.
PineDrama is an expansion on the previous experiment that TikTok undertook with “TikTok Minis,” one of the sections within the main app itself that also features microdramas.
With this new separate app TikTok is becoming a microdrama platform like ReelShort and DramaBox.
The microdrama industry, which has a small base, is fast expanding, with estimates indicating $26 billion in annual revenue by 2030.
Short-form storytelling has been a mixed success – Quibi, for example, launched in 2020 to the tune of $1.75 billion, but shut down within six months because of its failure to quickly engage with viewers with high-budget content.
By contrast, successful platforms such as ReelShort and DramaBox are focused on low budget, fast-paced stories that capture audiences within seconds, and focus on themes of romance, revenge and cliffhangers and are often populated with non-union talent.
PineDrama plays on this strategy, which is focused on engaging the audience with addictive, quick-hit stories.
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