Micro drama industry Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) on Wednesday released a draft regulation on the development and management of micro-dramas, opening it to public consultation, according to CCTV News.

The draft aims to further promote the flourishing of micro-dramas, strengthen "new mass literary and artistic creation" under internet conditions, and guide the sector toward healthy and orderly development, CCTV News reported. The report shows that a key focus of the draft is on establishing clearer rules around classification, content review, and distribution approval for the sector.

The draft classifies micro-short dramas into three categories based on investment scale and subject matter.

Category One refers to higher-budget productions or those involving themes such as politics, military affairs, diplomacy, national security, ethnicity, religion, and law enforcement.

Category Two covers mid-range productions with general themes, while Category Three refers to lower-budget micro-dramas featuring general content.

The detailed classification standards will be formulated by the State Council's radio and television authority and may be adjusted in line with industry development and practical needs over time.

According to CCTV, micro-short dramas in Category One and Category Two are required to undergo content review and obtain distribution approval before being broadcast, applications should be submitted to radio and television authorities at or above the provincial level.

Category Three productions, meanwhile, are handled more flexibly: eligible broadcasting platforms are responsible for content management, including pre-broadcast review and assigning program identification codes.

CCTV also reported that the distribution approval license for micro-dramas comes from State Council's radio and television authority. Any micro-drama that fails to obtain the required license or approval documents, or has not passed platform review and been assigned a program code, will not be allowed to participate in awards and recognition activities.

The draft does not only focus on the domestic market, it also encourages the development and international outreach of micro-short dramas, including supporting the creation, production and distribution of export-oriented works. 

The draft proposes facilitating participation by overseas creators in micro-drama production, and supporting high-quality micro-dramas to be broadcast simultaneously in both China and international markets.

According to earlier reports, Chinese authorities have rolled out targeted policies to support the micro-drama sector, aiming to foster industry growth through stronger industry development, artificial intelligence (AI) technology integration, and high-quality content creation. 

Global Times