Series with chapters of less than three minutes in length designed to be viewed vertically on the mobile phone. Microdramas have been present on the audiovisual scene for a long time, but their popularity has skyrocketed in the last two years, capitalizing on new forms of consumption and entertainment. So much so that TikTok has launched its own app for this growing format.

PineDrama, available in the United States and Brazil for free and without ads for iOS and Android systems, offers access to microdramas from all types of genres and markets. It has a “Discover” tab, which allows you to browse all the available titles and also those that are trending; but it also allows you to select recommendations made to suit the user’s taste.

PineDrama also has a viewing history that lists the series that the user is currently watching, and a section dedicated to favorites to save those that they want to watch in the future. Likewise, it has a certain social network component, since it allows you to make comments and share opinions in real time while watching each episode.

Currently, as reported Business Insiderusers can access the application with their TikTok username and watch the series for free. The most popular genres, as is generally the case with microdramas, are romance or fantasy, following in the wake of traditional soap operas or popular Korean series. Specifically, the series “Love at first bite” already has 18 million views.

TikTok’s launch of PineDrama comes after the social network added the “TikTok Minis” tab late last year to enjoy microdramas. In this sense, it is understood as a natural movement considering the short video format that the Chinese platform has popularized.

Although PineDrama is not currently monetizing its service, other similar platforms are doing so. Such is the case of applications like DramaBox or ReelShort, which can watch some episodes for free before being asked to register and pay $20 a month to continue enjoying the story.

With PineDeama TikTok seeks to capitalize on a format that, according to Varietycould reach 26 billion dollars globally in 2030. What’s more, it is not only the digital players who are betting on this model, but the traditional agents of the audiovisual industry have also realized the public’s interest in the format.

Along these lines, Flooxer, the Atresmedia channel dedicated to young audiences, premiered its first vertical series in December, titled “A Bride for Christmas.” In this case, instead of offering it through social networks, the series was part of the catalog of its streaming service, Atresplayer. It had 54 episodes and could be seen globally thanks to the international version of the platform. On January 12, Atresmedia reported that it had reached 20 million views between atresplayer and the clips broadcast on social networks.

Until a few years ago, the short video format was not synonymous with success. Proof of this is Quibi, the platform launched in 2020 by Jeffrey Katzenberg, former director of Walt Disney studios and founder of DreamWorks, and Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay and HP, with up to $1.75 billion in financing. The platform, which offered series with episodes of up to 10 minutes to be watched on mobile phones, even signed directors such as Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro, but was forced to close a few months after its launch due, among other things, to the impact of the pandemic, the price of the subscription, or the competition posed by Netflix, HBO, and other streaming services.

One of Quibi’s mistakes was trying to condense Hollywood style storytelling into shorter episodes. The new “microdrama” platforms are unapologetically committed to the foundations of the genre: stories that engage in the first seconds, many script twists, low-budget productions, unknown actors and the ambition to win over fans of romantic stories.