The micro-drama wave is reshaping screens worldwide. Short-form storytelling has accelerated into a global movement defined by compact narratives, emotional immediacy and formats built for mobile consumption.

Asian series topped viewing hours on Netflix’s global non-English TV rankings for the year to 16 November, taking about 60% of the more than 10 billion hours spent viewing top 10 non-English programmes around the world.   

Korean vertical video platform Vigloo is opening an office in L.A. and will double microdrama/vertical series production in 2026. Neil Choi, founder and CEO of Spoonlabs, which operates Vigloo, told ContentAsia about his plans.  

Growing overseas appetites make Japanese anime an export business – data shows a consumption tilt that is attracting big company investments.  

In April 2026, Vietnam’s CJ CGV releases “Mr Hero”, a family comedy drama directed by Vo Thach Thao (“Cây Táo Nở Hoa”) starring Thai Hoa (“Hijack 78”), aka Vietnam’s ‘king of comedy’.

Left-Handed Girl – Taiwan’s Oscar submission for Best International Feature Film  –  is a turning point for Taipei-born New York-based filmmaker, Shih-Ching Tsou.