TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called ‘PineDrama’ | TechCrunch

TikTok has quietly released a new standalone short drama app called PineDrama in the US and Brazil. The app provides access to microdramas, which are essentially bite-sized TV shows that can be watched in a series of one-minute episodes. Think TikTok, but every video you come across is a short episode of a fictional story.

PineDrama is available at iOS And Android. It’s free and currently ad-free, but that may change in the future.

The news was first reported by Business insider.

You can find content through the app’s ‘Discover’ tab, where you can sort ‘All’ or ‘Trending’ dramas, or through endless vertical recommendations tailored to your tastes. PineDrama offers a variety of genres including thriller, romance, family and more. Examples of popular shows include ‘Love at First Bite’ and ‘The Officer Fell for Me’.

The app has a ‘Viewing History’ section where you can go back to the different series you are watching. There is also a ‘Favorites’ section where you can save the dramas you like the most. You can also share thoughts with other viewers in the comments section and enter a full-screen viewing experience without the caption and sidebar.

The move comes as TikTok a “TikTok minis” section in its app late last year, where users can watch microdramas. With the launch of PineDrama, TikTok is taking on popular microdrama platforms such as ReelShort and DramaBox. Although the microdrama industry was not that popular until recent years, it is racing towards $26 billion in annual revenue by 2030, as reported by Variety.

Short story telling has not always been successful, even with notable support. In 2020, DreamWorks co-founder and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg launched a short-form streaming platform called Quibi with $1.75 billion in funding. The platform offered episodes of less than 10 minutes with popular Hollywood actors, but failed to gain traction and closed six months later.

ReelShort and DramaBox succeeded where Quibi failed, because while Quibi tried to compress Hollywood TV into shorter episodes, ReelShort and DramaBox created low-budget stories that captivated viewers within the first few seconds, followed by ongoing cliffhangers, all with non-union talent. Plus, they’re targeting fans of soapy romance and revenge thriller stories, while Quibi tried to target everyone.

TikTok now wants to replicate this success with PineDrama. The company already dominates short-form social media and now aims to tackle another media category.