European public broadcasters explore the rise of microdrama
How do you tell a meaningful story in episodes of just one or two minutes? That question was at the heart of an international knowledge-sharing session organized by Future Media Hubs, where public broadcasters from across Europe exchanged experiences with the rapidly growing microdrama format.
Microdrama goes mainstream
Microdramas are ultra-short fictional series specifically created for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The format originated in Asia, where it evolved into a highly commercial model: the first episodes published on social media attract young viewers to series hidden behind a paywall, while algorithms and design choices are optimized to maximize viewing time.
Hundreds of millions of viewers follow these short-form narratives every day, often designed to encourage continuous watching. European public broadcasters have now also begun experimenting with this storytelling format to reach younger audiences on the platforms where they spend their time. The difference is that they aim to combine the format with quality drama and public value.
Experiments by public broadcasters
Across Europe, broadcasters have already been experimenting extensively with microdrama aimed at younger audiences, and due to the success of these projects, new series are already being planned. All cases reported significantly higher-than-expected reach, strong engagement, and success in attracting new and younger audience groups, including users on their own platforms.
Learn from the experiences of public broadcasters in Latvia, Norway, Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands. France Télévisions has also achieved success with a microdrama comedy series.
Key takeaways
The projects successfully deliver short-form stories with public value while reaching younger audiences. Topics range from peer pressure and discrimination to toxic relationships and other social issues. The public value lies primarily in the content of the story rather than in the storytelling format itself.
Critical voices have emerged, particularly in the press, regarding the use of certain “addictive” viewing techniques, raising questions such as, “Is this really public service broadcasting?” Nevertheless, the overall response has been highly positive.
Excellent results were achieved on both external platforms (social media) and broadcasters’ own platforms, exceeding expectations in terms of views, engagement, and attracting younger audiences.There are even indications of strong conversion to broadcasters’ own platforms and of making other content more accessible, provided those platforms are optimized for vertical video. Further research is needed in this area.
In addition to smartphones, microdramas are also being consumed on smart TVs and television apps. As one participant noted: “Micro-drama is not small drama, but different storytelling.” It is not a genre in itself, but rather a distinct format with its own toolkit, including ultra-short episodes, hooks, cliffhangers and other techniques. Another frequently cited observation was: “Every second is drama.” The broadcasters adopted the storytelling techniques, but not the addictive business model, such as autoplay features and paywalls.
The format also influences acting styles. Performances tend to be bigger and less subtle than in traditional drama. Previous acting experience does not necessarily provide an advantage. Some broadcasters experimented with open casting calls, both to discover new talent and to engage young audiences before distribution.
The cases experimented with a variety of approaches, including:
- Genres: Romance, drama, thriller, comedy and telenovela-style storytelling. Different genres produced different results.
- Target audiences: Ages 9–12, 16–24, 19–29, 17–35 and even older viewers engaged with the content (particularly through Facebook).
- Production teams: Younger team members were deliberately included to better understand the visual language and tone of voice of the target audience.
- Casting strategies: Open castings engaged audiences in advance and gave the opportunity to discover new talent, use recognizable faces, or leverage existing fan communities.
- Episode count and duration: Broadcasters experimented with different episode lengths, volumes and multiple versions to meet the requirements of external platforms.
- AI in scripting and visuals: Results varied depending on the application and project. Younger audiences also responded very differently to the use of AI-generated visuals.
Production budgets were overall relatively low. However, one important consideration is that viewers consume microdramas quickly, meaning a large volume of content is needed to immediately offer them a new series. The challenge of maintaining a large catalogue of available content to keep audiences engaged and loyal rises, with new content often needing to be released every two weeks to sustain interest.
A last significant challenge is the audience imbalance, with considerably more women and girls engaging with the content than men and boys. Broadcasters are exploring how to attract less-reached groups through targeted titles, characters and genres.
