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China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) is set to formulate the micro-short drama management regulations, aimed at fostering industry growth while ensuring stricter governance.

During a work conference held in Beijing from Friday to Saturday, the NRTA outlined 10 key tasks centered on promoting the high-quality development of radio, television and network audio-visual content.

One of the key tasks is to formulate the micro-drama management regulations to balance industry development with regulatory oversight, to enhance governance capacity in the field of online audio-visual industry, improve the content management of audio-visual content programs.

According to NRTA, “micro-dramas” refer to online audio-visual programs with a length of single episode ranging from dozens of seconds to about 15 minutes, with a relatively clear theme and main storyline, as well as continuous and complete narrative.

Due to their short duration and concise content, short videos have witnessed rapid growth in recent years. According to the 2024 white paper of micro-drama industry development, the number of micro-short drama users in China had reached 576 million as of June of 2024, representing 52.4 percent of the total internet users.

The rapid development of micro-dramas also has given rise to issues such as excessive consumption by the elderly, as well as the induced consumption and unclear charging standards in its profit model, raising public concerns.

A TV series producer told the Global Times on Sunday on condition of anonymity that the short drama industry urgently needs review and supervision since most of the micro-dramas played on the short video platforms are commodities offering emotional value rather than serving as meaningful film and television works promoting positive values. Without sufficient regulations, short dramas with negative content will have negative impact on youngsters and harm the interests of the elderly.

The network audio-visual department of the NRTA issued a management notice in December 2024 to strengthen the review of micro-drama titles. The notice requires that the titles of micro-dramas should reflect deeper ideological content and convey mainstream values. Titles must not use vulgar or distasteful expressions that violate public order and moral standards, nor should they promote extreme confrontation, revenge, violence or anxiety, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In addition to micro-drama management regulations, the NRTA’s work deployment also included the implementation of a high-quality creation initiative in radio, television and online audio-visual content by improving overall plans, policies and measures, providing enhanced support and guidance, and promoting the production of more high-quality content, wider dissemination and a better environment for the content.

The authority also pledged to promote systemic reforms in the broadcasting and television industry, including consolidating and enhancing radio and television services, reducing the number of channels, resolutely addressing violations in pharmaceutical advertising, strengthening the new media sector, and deepening institutional reforms.

The NRTA also emphasized the need to strengthen the legal and regulatory framework by speeding up the enactment of the broadcasting and television law, drafting and revising related regulations and normative documents, and enhancing comprehensive governance capacity within the industry.

Meanwhile, the authority also committed to systematically promoting security efforts, strengthening the management of content security, network security and data security, and developing a modern security assurance system.

The work deployment also called for accelerating the construction of the national emergency broadcasting system, establish and improve mechanisms, expedite the planning and construction of emergency broadcasting projects to enhance its effectiveness.

In addition, the authority emphasized accelerating the systematic layout of the international dissemination of radio, television and audio-visual content, achieving key breakthroughs and building an international communication system for the industry, in a bid to enhance dissemination effectiveness and support broader diplomatic objectives.

The authority also called for strengthening governance over television service charges, simplifying operations for television audiences, with a remote control and TV set box.