Nearly 20% of Long-Form Users Now Watch Microdramas

Viu CEO and PCCW Media group managing director Janice Lee said close to 20% of the platform’s long-form user base is already consuming microdrama content – and the format only launched a few months ago.

Speaking onstage at the APOS 2026 conference in Bali, Lee outlined a strategy spanning short-form content, pan-regional tentpoles and ad-funded originals.

“We’ve only just gotten started a few months ago,” Lee said. “It’s not mutually exclusive in the sense that, you know, when people have time, they will watch a long form series. But it’s a snacking behavior.”

Lee framed the microdrama push as an extension of Viu’s existing proposition rather than a pivot away from premium long-form content. The platform is also bringing advertisers into short-form projects, describing the format as attractive to brands that want rapid turnarounds. As an example of the branded content model in action, she cited “Abracadabra,” an Indonesia-set travel adventure series produced in partnership with Samsung starring Korean actor Ji Chang-wook alongside local talent.

On the originals front, Viu has renewed its cooperation with South Korea’s Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), under which it has already launched unscripted series “Rak Rak,” a dating reality show, and “Bite Me Sweet,” a dessert cooking competition. A scripted drama, “One of a Kind Romance,” is scheduled for a November release under the same arrangement.

The streamer’s two flagship tentpoles take different routes to scale. “The Season,” which streams on Viu, Now TV and Hulu, was engineered from development as a global product – an English-language series with a predominantly Asian cast designed to open up the U.S. market. “Kidnap Game,” due in October, is a pan-regional survival thriller co-produced by Fuji Television Network, PCCW Media’s MakerVille and South Korean outfit SimStory, with principal photography spanning seven Asian cities and a cast led by Japan’s Kentaro Sakaguchi and Korean star Lee Joon-gi.

Lee also addressed Viu’s approach to artificial intelligence, organizing the company’s AI initiatives into three areas: operational efficiency, new revenue streams including microdrama production, and longer-term innovation experiments. She indicated a launch in the third category was coming soon.

The session concluded with Lee and iQIYI International president Yang Xianghua jointly unveiling a five-market streaming bundle across Southeast Asia, positioning the pairing as complementary content libraries. “Together we’re the best of Asian content,” Lee said.