China's vertical dramas on rise to go global

Chinese micro and short dramas, or vertical dramas, are rapidly gaining popularity overseas, with homegrown stories and viewing platforms expected to reshape the global viewing habits.

According to latest data from overseas application platforms, the number of Chinese micro and short drama applications overseas has surpassed 300, with products from Chinese companies sweeping the top three spots on global download charts of the category.

In Vancouver of Canada, an English-language vertical drama adapted from a Chinese online content was filmed on a local set. The leading actress, Judith Stevens, who has been in the industry for over a year, has already acted in more than 20 vertical dramas with plots based on Chinese online stories.

"It (the original Chinese story)'s very dramatic, but I feel like that's also what hooks the audience as well, so you can continuously keep watching. You don't want anything boring in between. My brother's also in the industry as well, so we kind of team up together and we do this together. So, it's been a really positive experience," said Stevens.

The series' director and producer were both from China, while the actors, cinematographers and costume and makeup teams were all local to form an innovative "Chinese IP+local production" model.

Meanwhile, Chinese micro drama storyboarding templates and pacing charts have been directly adopted by local crews overseas. This allows them to replicate the signature style of Chinese vertical dramas to grab viewers' attention within three seconds and completing the emotion telling in 60 seconds.

The success behind the Chinese vertical dramas also lies in the mature business operation model with the precise algorithm-based viewing platform that has been transferred and implemented overseas. "The development of the product viewing application relies on China's industrial chain and our in-house algorithms to better achieve highly personalized and targeted content distribution to viewers. Our marketing team works with global media platforms. And we also build our own automated content distribution system to increase our efficiency," said Nan Yapeng, vice president of Crazy Maple Studio, a U.S.-based company specializing in mobile gaming, reading and streaming.

China's vertical dramas on rise to go global

Uruguay's dairy giant Conaprole is stepping up its presence in China, signing a strategic cooperation agreement with a local partner to strengthen commercial and technical ties. 

The push comes as President Yamandu Orsi leads a week-long visit in China with a high-level business delegation until February 7.

Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN), Conaprole president Gabriel Fernandez Secco outlined plans to expand the cooperative's footprint in China and detailed its newly signed partnership with a Chinese dairy firm.

"This trip is very important for us. China is very important for us, it's the most important market in terms of dairy products. And Conaprole exports more than 80 percent of our products to more than 75 countries. We have a lot of clients here in China, but we want to improve our participation," he said.

According to Secco, shared investment in research and production technology will drive improvements in quality and long-term sustainability.

"Basically, the combination between the two, the technical equipment of the both companies to improve the quality, health, and sustainability of our production. Conaprole offers a wide range of products. But in terms of international markets, milk powder is the most important product, not only between Conaprole and the Chinese companies but worldwide. But we export all the products to the Chinese market. We think that we can add other products in the near future," he said.

Uruguay's Conaprole expands China dairy partnership