In the context of the continuous ecological evolution of digital content in China, micro-short dramas, small games and AI-generated content are becoming new engines of growth in the short video economy. These emerging content patterns are delivering more sustainable and communicationable business returns to platforms and advertisers than was the case with live broadcasts from the dominant industry over the past decade.
This trend was highlighted at the annual conference held last Friday at the quick hand. As one of China ‘ s earliest short video social networking platforms, a total of $35 billion was announced in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 13 per cent over the previous year. At the same time, the ecological prosperity of the Platform ‘ s content has continued, with more than 26 million creators having earned their income through the Platform over the past year, nearly 12 per cent of them having earned more than a thousand yuan a month.
It is particularly striking that the new content in the form of a “micro-short play” is unleashing a huge liquidity potential. The data show that during the period from June to August this year, creators received more than $20 million in total income through the short play. During the same period, short play content was viewed over a period of 44 per cent over the same period, indicating a high degree of adhesiveness on the part of users.
The fast-start founders laughed at the conference that, unlike live broadcasts, short video had a stronger long-tail effect, able to continue to spread and help creators to build a “hard online set-up”. He stressed that this sustainable content asset was changing the relationship between creators and users.
In addition to the short play, small games also become an important path for creators to realize. In the second quarter of 2025, small games generated $18 million in income for quick-hand creators. Such light quantitative and interactive content not only enhances the time spent by users but also provides an innovative implant for advertisers.
This upgrading of the content pattern coincides with the active pursuit of online employment by millions of Chinese. According to a report published jointly by the China Performing Industry Association and Fast Trackers, by the end of 2023 more than 15 million people throughout the country were using live webcasts as their main occupation. However, the reality is also grim: more than 80 per cent of full-time anchors earn less than $8,000 per month, reflecting the high internal and income ceiling of the live industry.
In contrast, micro-blind plays, small games and AI content show higher marginal benefits and lower operational thresholds. For example, a low-cost short play can be profitable in a variety of ways, including through platform division, brand customization, and traffic incentives; while the AI tool significantly lowers the technical threshold for video clippings, voice-playing and special effects production, allowing more people to engage in content entrepreneurship in the form of a “one-person team”.
Nevertheless, other mainstream platforms in the country remain highly dependent on live delivery. According to data released in December 2023, nearly two thirds of its 15.4 billion commodity orders throughout the year came from live booths. The small red book on lifestyle platforms is also accelerating commercialization, with eight times the same number of new registered vendors in 2024, indicating a strong combination of content grass and electrical transformation.
For the tens of millions of ordinary people who aspire to make their living through the Internet, the integration of micro-features, small games and AI technology may be opening a new door to digital employment. For the industry as a whole, this is not only an iterative form of content, but a profound shift in business models from “immediate reward” to “continuous value creation”.
