"Popularized in China, the mini-drama format essentially sees full-length productions split into tiny episodes, that people can then tune into on TikTok. The plots of these shows tend to be soap opera-style, Hallmark movie-esque escapism (as explained by Business Insider: plots often revolve around tropes like badly behaving husbands or werewolf romance), which generally end on cliffhanger confessions to keep people coming back for more. And people are doing just that, with the format gaining significant traction on TikTok over the past year. So, of course, as you would expect, Instagram is now also looking to latch onto the trend."
"As highlighted by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram is currently experimenting with its own, dedicated Short Drama element within the app. As this example shows, the new element, which is currently in early testing, and is not available to the public as yet, would seemingly enable Instagram users to follow their favorite short drama shows, and stay up to date on the latest episodes more easily."
"Would that be beneficial? Well, again, mini dramas are big on TikTok, with one estimate indicating that the format generated $1.3 billion in the US in 2025, mostly via direct payments from viewers. And clearly TikTok sees potential. It launched a Minis section in the app last year, while it's also launched a dedicated mini dramas app, called PineDrama, in the U.S. and Brazil."
Mini-drama content splits full-length productions into very short, serialized episodes optimized for short-form platforms. Plots commonly use soap-opera and Hallmark-style escapism with familiar tropes and cliffhanger confessions to encourage return viewership. The format has gained substantial traction on TikTok and generated major revenue, with an estimate of $1.3 billion in the US in 2025, largely from direct viewer payments. TikTok has rolled out a Minis section and a PineDrama app to support the format. Instagram is testing a Short Drama element to let users follow serialized shows and stay updated on episodes.
Read at www.socialmediatoday.com
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