TikTok quietly launches microdrama app called ‘PineDrama’

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

PineDrama is available on iOS and Android. It’s free and currently ad-free, although this 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 by “All” or “Trending” dramas, or through countless 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 application offers a “Watched Video History” section where you can go back to the different series you watch. There is also a “Favorites” section where you can save the dramas you like the most. You can also share your thoughts with other viewers in the comments section and access a full-screen viewing experience that removes the caption and sidebar.

The move comes as TikTok launched 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 like ReelShort and DramaBox. Even though the microdrama industry wasn’t that popular until recent years, its annual revenue is expected to reach $26 billion by 2030, as Variety reports.

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

ReelShort and DramaBox succeeded where Quibi failed, because while Quibi tried to compress Hollywood television into shorter episodes, ReelShort and DramaBox created low-budget stories that hooked viewers in the first few seconds, followed by continuous cliffhangers, all featuring non-union talent. Additionally, they target fans of soapy romances and revenge thrillers, while Quibi tried to target everyone.

TikTok is now looking to replicate this success with PineDrama. The company already dominates the short-form social media space and now aims to conquer another media category.