AI Short Dramas Explosion Cuts Production Costs by 90% in China

AI-generated short dramas are rapidly dominating Chinese streaming platforms like Hongguo, cutting production costs by 90% and generating a new drama every 36 seconds on average. A small team of three can now produce an 80-episode series in just five days, occupying 19 out of the top 20 spots on streaming charts. This technological shift is severely disrupting traditional video production, causing live-action short drama projects to drop by 75% year-over-year and studio vacancy rates in Hengdian to reach nearly 80%. As major platforms divert capital to AI content, traditional actors and production crews face widespread unemployment. Despite creating high-visual fantasy scenes at low cost, over 90% of AI drama creators remain unprofitable due to low hit rates, formulaic scripts, and unnatural character expressions. Furthermore, platforms have accelerated this trend by canceling minimum revenue-guarantee policies for traditional live-action drama projects.