AI short-form drama production has surged this year as technical barriers fell
and capacity expanded, driving per-minute production quotes down from ~5,000
yuan to several hundred yuan—approaching cost—while bespoke projects still
command 10,000–20,000 yuan/min. With basic production no longer scarce,
competition is shifting from output and price to content quality and market
reach. Forecasts project China’s AI drama/animation market to exceed 40 bln yuan
by 2026 (YoY growth ~138%); the overseas segment is expected to top $4 bln, or
roughly 70% of the overseas micro short-form drama market.