"Duanju" now has its own page in an overseas encyclopedia. English already had names for these shows, including micro-drama, short drama, and vertical drama. The page still takes the Chinese pinyin as its title.
The entry describes a form that began in China. One episode usually lasts one or two minutes. A series may hold anywhere from 20 to 100 episodes, and the full run can last about as long as one or two films. The shows are made for phones. Many are shot with the screen held upright, in pieces short enough to watch in a spare moment. Plots move quickly, and the emotion is strong.
People are opening that page more often. From November 2024 onward, views have risen sharply. A search for the word brings up a long list of results. In the overseas industry, "duanju" is now the English name for this kind of drama, not a Chinese word kept only as a note beside a translation.
The new name follows the market. A 2025 industry report puts the global micro-drama market at nearly $18 billion. China's share passed $14 billion, or 77.78% of the total. Outside China, Chinese companies supplied about 90% of the business.
ReelShort is the app that carried these shows to viewers in North America. It launched there in 2022. The studio behind it was founded in San Francisco in 2016. It hired local actors, writers, and crews, and used a shooting system already common for this format in China. In November 2023, the app reached No. 2 on the free chart of the U.S. App Store and No. 1 in entertainment. By August 2026, downloads had passed 450 million.
A producer at the studio's Canada office said romance is the most popular subject, with fantasy and stories for teens close behind. The shows travel, the producer said, because they meet an emotional need people already feel.