Short-Form Content, Too, Is About Quality Over Quantity... ReelShort Emphasizes “An Opportunity for K-Content... Collaboration with Popular IP” [BCWW 2026]

[Financial News] The global short-form drama market is shifting its competitive focus from the number of productions to completion rates and content quality, industry observers say. Korean content, known for its fast pacing, strong emotional arcs, and high production quality, could benefit from this change.

Vera Liu, UA Director at Crazy Maple Studio, said at Session 4 of “BCWW 2026,” titled “Infinite Scalability: The Media Paradigm and Business Model Transformed by Short-Form Content,” held on the 15th at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, “What matters now is not how much content we produce, but what kind of content keeps viewers watching until the end.” She added, “Quality is becoming increasingly important over quantity.”
Crazy Maple Studio operates the global short-form drama platform ReelShort. Jeong Geun-wook, CEO of KT Studio Genie, and Marian Lee, CCO of Viu, also participated in the session as panelists.
Liu said the qualitative shift in the short-form market could create new opportunities for Korea’s content industry. 
Liu said, “Global viewers already recognize K-content as offering strong emotions and high-quality content. The fact that expectations and trust have already been established is a major strength.” Liu continued, “Korean-style storytelling effectively showcases fast-paced developments, revenge, and moments of heightened emotion.” Liu emphasized, “We need to identify which genres and stories actually resonate, then expand them into short-form content.” 

ReelShort has already conducted initial tests involving K-content. It identified potential in family and romance themes and is also exploring content aimed at male viewers. 
Liu said that for the short-form market to grow, strategies that keep users on a platform are as important as the success of individual titles. If users download an application and make a payment because they are drawn to a particular title, then leave after finishing it, the platform must again spend heavily on marketing to attract new users and bring former users back.
Liu predicted, “With related titles, sophisticated recommendations, and a sufficiently extensive content library, users will stay on the platform voluntarily rather than having to be forced to remain.” The idea is that one-time payments can lead to long-term subscriptions only when users can continue discovering new content.

ReelShort sees collaboration with popular intellectual property (IP) and artificial intelligence (AI) as future growth drivers. Characters and stories that already have established fan bases are particularly advantageous in short-form content, where viewers’ attention must be captured within just a few seconds.
Liu said, “Because short-form content has only a few seconds to capture viewers’ attention, IP collaborations using familiar characters and stories can help achieve rapid reach and build immediate trust.”
AI was described as a tool for shortening production time and reducing costs while rapidly testing a wide range of content. However, it was emphasized that AI should be used to accelerate experimentation and improve production efficiency, rather than replace actors or creators.
Marian Lee, CCO of Viu, proposed “branded micro-content,” which naturally integrates brands into stories, as a revenue model for short-form content. Advertisers in Asian markets, including Malaysia and the Philippines, are looking for quality content that can feature their brands, suggesting that branded content could become a major source of revenue for short-form platforms.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter