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A mini drama on Douyin, TikTok's sister app in China. Photo via Getty.
Hello!
Companies like YouTube, Snap and Quibi have all tried to make short original shows on social media work. Now, a second wave of attempts is coming.
As Juro and I reported, TikTok is now considering adding TV-like dramas with minutes-long episodes, which have proven popular on its Chinese sister app Douyin.
Some companies, such as ReelShort, are already posting mini, soap opera-esque shows on TikTok through the app’s paywalled Series feature. Viewers can watch some episodes for free, and then pay to watch the rest, such as 52 cents per episode or $5.13 for 10 episodes. Each episode lasts about 90 seconds, amassing between a few thousand views each to hundreds of thousands, with titles like “The Heiress Strikes Back” and “The Billionaire’s Accidental Bride.”
While TikTok and its rivals want these shows, they aren't likely to pay for their production.
YouTube shuttered its YouTube Originals unit, which produced its own shows for the platform, two years ago. But it’s been encouraging creators to produce more episodic videos for YouTube TV, its subscription product popular on large screens. In September, YouTube announced creators will soon be able to organize their videos into seasons and episodes on YouTube TV.
Creators such as Michelle Khare, who has nearly 5 million YouTube subscribers, have already been approaching their work in the form of episodes. She’s best known for her “Challenge Accepted” series on YouTube where she tries her hand at difficult professions, such as training to be a black belt or a firefighter. Khare’s videos are longer, ranging from about 20 minutes to more than an hour, and are free to watch.
Other creators such as Reesa Teesa on TikTok and Mylene Mae on Instagram have created series of short-form videos, which have drawn more followers to their accounts. Teesa’s 50-part series about her marriage amassed millions of views.
Zach Blume, president and co-founder of social content company Portal A, expects short-form shows on social media to increase because they are resonating with viewers.
Since the end of last year, Portal A has invested about $1 million across more than 20 different projects, including short-form video series hosted by creators on social media, as part of an initiative it calls Moonshots. Next year, the company plans to pitch these short shows to advertisers for sponsorship deals.
One such series, called “Third Cultures,” focuses on immigrant communities around the world, hosted by food creator Jaeki Cho. The first two episodes, which were distributed on Instagram Reels to start, saw more than 450,000 views. More episodes are coming out this week.
“It’s the bet we’re making based on what we’re hearing from the market and audience appetite,” Blume said. “A lot of investment in experimentation is happening in this space. Nobody has quite cracked the code yet.”
Here’s what else is going on…
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ByteDance’s valuation has risen to about $300 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. The TikTok parent company told investors it was looking to buy back shares at about $180 a share.
