TikTok turns to microdramas as attention spans shrink

TikTok will be debuting their new Mini Dramas category in Singapore, allowing users to watch microdramas on the platform with ease, it announced at the TikTok Apps Summit on June 18.

Mini Dramas will be built directly into TikTok, letting people view and purchase episodic short-form dramas without leaving the app.

According to TikTok, users can access Mini Dramas via the Mini Center under My Activities & Tools on their profile page.

The platform added that the exact experience for users in Singapore might differ when the feature launches locally.

While no launch date has been announced for Mini Dramas in Singapore, TikTok's move to incorporate microdramas into their app aims to capitalise on the growth of the entertainment format.

Microdramas recorded 2.26 billion global downloads in 2025 alone, said Ng Chew Wee, TikTok's head of business marketing in Asia-Pacific.

"Mini Dramas is designed for audiences who enjoy immersive storytelling delivered in short, mobile-native formats," Ng told AsiaOne.

She added that TikTok will capitalise on their in-app recommendation system in this new feature, recommending dramas that align with users' interests and viewing behaviours.

In a panel discussion with TikTok's general manager of global business solutions in the Philippines and Singapore, Sok Zhi Wei, Tien Nguyen, managing director of Vietnamese entertainment company YeaH1, shared her insights on the rising popularity of microdramas.

YeahH1 is one publisher that will be partnering with TikTok on Mini Dramas.

Nguyen noted that consumers tended to "see themselves as characters in narrative" as they became "invested in [the] storylines and returned for new episodes".

She also pointed out how the micro dramas format "had the potential to become a very sustainable format", especially suitable for consumption on mobile phones.

Nguyen, who is also the deputy chief executive officer of entertainment platform MangoPlus, commented that "consumer attention" has become "very fragmented".

Based on MangoPlus' rollout of microdramas, she noted that they have had to "reinvent the storytelling" for a new and shorter format.

This meant that they needed to be "very intentional in creating curiosity in consumers from the first few seconds and giving them an emotional pay-off" by the end of the episode, she explained.

They had to win attention before earning retention, she added.

Mini Games

TikTok also unveiled Mini Games, alongside other artificial intelligence advertising solutions and tools such as TikTok Growth Max and Dreamina Seedance 2.0 at the TikTok Apps Summit.

Mini Dramas and Mini Games are being gradually rolled out across the region, with Mini Dramas currently available for users in Thailand and Indonesia. 

TikTok will continue to provide more updates about the rollout in due time.

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