Short dramas are typically micro-dramas with episodes lasting 1-3 minutes. They are designed for quick consumption and are popular on platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox.
Overseas short dramas have production costs ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 per drama.
In China domestic short drama costs range from $28,000 to $70,000 USD per drama and overseas-targeted short drama costs range from $100,000 to $200,000 USD per drama.
Web series are longer-form content with episodes typically ranging from 20 to 60 minutes. Web series costs vary widely depending on scale and quality, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars per episode. High-budget web series can exceed $1 million per episode.
Cost-Earning Ratio:
With production costs as low as $150,000-$300,000 and potential earnings reaching millions in days, short dramas offer a high return on investment (ROI). Average short dramas revenue can easily gain 1:3 ROI and blockbusters reaching 1:300.
Web series require a much higher upfront investment—often millions per season—but successful shows can yield substantial long-term earnings through multiple revenue streams. The ROI is less immediate and carries greater risk due to the competitive market. Globally, average web series ROI might hover around 1:1.5 for mid-tier successes, with outliers hitting 1:3.
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