Enjoy raunchy mini-dramas on your TikTok feed.
TikTok has begun limited testing of a new mini-drama feed within the app called “TikTok Short Dramas,” a company spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider.
This feature is very similar to TikTok’s separate mini-drama app, PineDrama, but instead appears in the main app. It’s currently available to a small number of users 18 and older in the U.S. and a handful of other regions, a spokesperson said.
Many of the popular partner-created videos on TikTok’s short-form drama feed also appear on PineDrama. TikTok vets the content that appears in your feed.
At the top of TikTok’s mini-drama library are categories such as “Crime Lord,” “Cute Kids,” “One Night Stand,” and “CEO.” Scroll through a few episodes and you’ll see mermaids, depressed polar bears dancing on the beach, AI-generated zombies, and even a “burger CEO” who appears to be making fun of McDonald’s CEO.
A mini-drama (also known as a “vertical drama” or “micro-drama”) is a program that is divided into short clips, usually 1 to 5 minutes in length. Popular plots include tales of sexy millionaires, sleazy love affairs, or revenge. It’s hugely popular in China, where TikTok’s parent company ByteDance was founded, and is increasingly gaining traction in the United States. Some up-and-coming American actors star in “vertical films” rather than Hollywood films, which helps them pay their bills.
Streaming consultancy Owl & Co estimates that mini-drama apps generated $1.4 billion in revenue in the U.S. last year. Leaders in this category include DramaBox and ReelShort.
Many startups in this space operate on a freemium model, where the first few episodes are free, but you have to pay to watch the rest. All episodes are free on TikTok’s short drama feed.
TikTok’s launch of its short drama product raises some interesting questions. Who will “own” the future of this format on the platform? Will TikTok become a marketplace for short drama apps (like Roku for streaming), or will it move more aggressively into original content (like Netflix and Disney)?
For now, the company is keeping both lanes open.
Viewers of TikTok’s short drama repertoire are asked to download PineDrama after watching a few videos.
However, TikTok is also highlighting a slate of 20 other third-party short drama feeds within the app through its minis program, allowing users to stream content from partners such as ShortMax, FlareFlow, and YuzuDrama directly within TikTok. Users can watch some episodes for free on most of these partner feeds, but eventually they have to pay.
Some microdrama companies like DramaBox spend a lot of money on TikTok ads to promote different apps.
TikTok integrates PineDrama content directly into its main app and promotes it to its users. Screenshot/TikTok
AI polar bear and Tarzan imitation
Although human actors regularly appear on TikTok’s feed, AI-generated content is also prevalent.
One of the most popular — and weird — shows on TikTok is “Untamed,” an AI-generated riff on Tarzan featuring a character named “Targay.”
According to the TikTok app, the show has been viewed over 500 million times. In one of the minute-long episodes, the plot takes an existential turn about AI.
“All the ice is gone. We don’t have a home,” the polar bear says to two humans, including Targay, on the beach. “When AI computers generate content, they consume too much power and generate heat.”
The episode ends with a polar bear dancing with bikini-clad humans (including a baby) and a gorilla.
“If I’m going to die, I might as well dance,” says the AI-generated polar bear. The episode ends with the ironic confession that it was created by an AI.