South Korea’s KT Studio Genie Pioneers Micro-Dramas with Unique Studio Model

Chris Jung, CEO of South Korea’s KT Studio Genie, reckons that the studio is the only traditional production company in the country that is “thinking seriously about micro-dramas” and actively working on producing content in the vertical video format.

The studio, which produced the hit series Extraordinary Attorney Woo, is part of Korea’s media and telecommunications conglomerate KT Corporation.

Strategic Shift: From Platform to Studio Model

Speaking at the APOS summit in Indonesia, Jung said that KT Studio Genie officially started working on micro-dramas in March of this year, and that strategy work around the format is still in its early days at the company. Initially, the team pushed toward a platform-centered strategy, although they have since pivoted to focus on a more internal “studio model.”

“It’s been just three to four months. The first day, we thought about platform strategy as other players are focusing on that. In Korea, there are several platforms specifically for micro-drama content.”

Some of these short-form content platforms in South Korea include:

• Topreels
• Vigloo
• Shortcha

“However, we decided not to go for those platforms, but work on the studio model, which we are already doing well in,” added Jung. “Behind this thought process, I personally thought that platforms, for the next two to three years, the market will not be consolidated yet. There are so many micro-dramas rising and playing well in the US, Japan, China and Southeast Asia. Competing against those global platform players for Studio Genie will be very tough, and we want to focus on what we do really well, which is the studio model.”

Micro-Dramas: A Top Priority and Digital Opportunity

While Jung is quick to share Studio Genie’s annual spending on long-form content – $150M on 10 to 12 television drama titles per year – he said he is hard pressed to put a number on what the budget for micro-dramas might require, going forward.

However, he is clear that micro-dramas are a top priority for Studio Genie, surpassing the commitment that any other traditionally long-form content studio in South Korea has expressed so far.

“We are the only studio in Korea who are thinking seriously about micro-dramas,” said Jung. “As a long-form content-producing company, micro-dramas are really such a new thing, to go from making 60-minute episodes to just one- to two-minute episodes for micro-dramas. From my perspective, micro-drama is a good format because we can reach the digital medium. Some people spend three to four hours every day watching reels on Tiktok and Instagram.”

Leveraging AI in Short-Form Production

Jung also noted that KT wants to integrate AI into the short-form production process and use this as an opportunity to test the effectiveness of AI before potentially introducing the technology into its long-form production arms.

“In the KT Group, there is an atmosphere that we need to integrate AI technology into the business process,” said Jung. “We can integrate AI into the micro-drama creation process more aggressively compared to long-form content. What we learn from the short-form production process, we can later integrate into our long-form production process.”

Redefining Micro-Dramas: Insights from Topreels

Song Jiyeon, head of content at short-form platform Topreels, wants to reframe how micro-dramas are perceived in the content industry.

“Cheap and ‘snackable’ does not mean that micro-dramas are inferior to long form dramas, as they fundamentally serve a different need,” said Song. “For example, we noticed that users of micro-dramas actually overlap more with readers of webnovels.”

Monetization Models

Song added that among various monetization models that Topreels uses, subscription has proven the most successful in the Korean market, for the platform’s weekly and monthly packages.

For short-form content, several episodes are usually available for free, while further episodes require a subscription or for audiences to use in-platform or in-app currency to unlock new episodes.

Korea’s Global Potential in Short-Form Content

Song believes that while Korea is currently experiencing a lull in production for long-form media, the country’s industry possesses a wealth of experience and talent that will allow it to become a global leader in the short-form space too.

“I believe that Korea has a strong potential to lead in the micro-drama space,” said Song. “Recently, I spoke with a Korean production company that is still receiving revenue share from a Japanese partner for a drama produced 15 years ago. I believe that Korean content ages well and delivers benefits many years later, and I think the same can happen for micro-dramas, although it will take time for skill improvement for professionals to become good at producing in this format.”