光大证券研究·2026-01-12 23:03Group 1: Short Drama Market Overview - The domestic short drama market is expected to reach RMB 63.43 billion by 2025, with a year-on-year growth of 26%, and projected to grow to RMB 85.65 billion by 2027, resulting in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.2% from 2025 to 2027 [4] - The supply of short dramas is increasing, with the number of new dramas rising from 34,600 in 2024 to 39,600 in the first half of 2025; however, competition for high-quality productions is intensifying, with average production costs for ordinary short dramas ranging from RMB 400,000 to 700,000, and S-level top dramas costing between RMB 1.5 million to 3 million [4] - The overseas short drama market is set for significant growth, with revenues expected to soar to USD 2.38 billion in 2025, and downloads projected to exceed 1.21 billion, marking year-on-year increases of 263% and 135% respectively [4] Group 2: AI-Driven Comic Drama Market - The year 2025 is anticipated to be the inaugural year for AI comic dramas in China, leveraging online literature IPs and AI tools for script generation, character modeling, scene design, and voice synthesis, resulting in a unique content form that combines comic visuals with short drama narratives [5] - The market for AI comic dramas is projected to exceed RMB 20 billion in 2025, with an expected 46,931 new comic dramas launched, showcasing exponential growth, particularly in the latter half of the year [5] - Major companies are increasingly supporting the comic drama sector, with the launch of the free comic drama app by Hongguo marking a significant event, prompting platforms like iQIYI, Tencent Video, and Bilibili to enhance collaboration with content producers [6] Group 3: Production Efficiency and Cost Reduction - AI technology is integrated throughout the entire production process of comic dramas in 2025, enhancing efficiency from planning to post-production, allowing for a production capacity of "60 episodes in 20 days with 15 people," and reducing the cost per minute of production to RMB 400, with production cycles shortened to 10-13 days [7]