Core Insights - The free short drama market is rapidly encroaching on the short drama market share, prompting many mid-tier teams to pivot towards free and branded short dramas [1][3] - DataEye's observation indicates that brand-customized short dramas have seen an increase in promotional efforts, with 92 new brand short dramas launched in March and April 2025, showing slight growth compared to the previous year [1][4] Data Overview - A total of 129 new brands entered the short drama space in 2025, with 84 brands joining in January alone, indicating a crowded competitive landscape [4] - The top-performing brand short dramas since April include "Dear Enemy" with 280 million views, "Secret Crush Can't Be Hidden" with 160 million views, and "Chasing Light" with 140 million views [5][9] Brand Performance - Among the top 10 brand-customized short dramas, Meituan's group buying service accounted for 50% of the total, with two of the top three dramas produced by Meituan [7][10] - The interactive engagement for "Hello, Classmate Mom" produced by Marubi reached over 2 million likes, indicating strong audience interaction [12][14] Market Dynamics - The short drama market is experiencing a polarization, with some brand short dramas failing to meet promotional expectations, while others successfully cultivate brand image and value through storytelling [22][24] - The total consumption of the domestic micro-short drama market reached 6.67 billion in Q1 2025, reflecting a 3% decrease from Q4 2024, as free platforms like Hongguo and Hemajuchang continue to erode the paid market [18][21] Content Strategy - Successful brand short dramas combine classic themes with current social issues, enhancing viewer engagement and brand recognition [28][30] - Meituan's short dramas effectively integrate brand messaging within the narrative, using dynamic geographic targeting to connect viewers with nearby services [34][36] Promotional Tactics - Meituan's promotional strategies are tailored to different platforms, leveraging Douyin for topic creation and Kuaishou for conversion, creating a comprehensive marketing matrix [40][41] - The brand's short dramas are designed to facilitate seamless transitions from content viewing to consumer action, enhancing overall effectiveness [33][39]

Core Insights - The article discusses the release of the short drama monthly ranking for April 2025 by WETRUE, analyzing the performance of short dramas launched during the month and their advertising data on Douyin, providing industry trend indicators for practitioners [1][2]. Market Overview - The total heat value for April 2025 was 1.757 billion, with a month-on-month decrease of approximately 6.07% - The average daily heat value was 58.5714 million, reflecting a month-on-month decrease of about 2.94% [9]. Content Performance - A total of 384 short dramas entered the WETRUE Top 30 list in April 2025 - 17 short dramas accumulated a heat value exceeding 10 million during the month [12]. Material Dimension Data - WETRUE identified 4,134,819 related materials for short dramas in April 2025 [12]. Company Dimension Data - 38 associated parties entered the WETRUE Top 30 list in April 2025 [15]. Genre Dimension Data - Female and male channel types accounted for 74.87% and 25.13% respectively - Traditional genres such as urban, emotional, and counterattack still dominate the market [17][19]. Audience Dimension Data - The gender distribution of the audience was 54.23% female and 45.77% male, showing little change from the previous month [22]. - The age distribution indicated that the 31-40 age group remained the primary audience, comprising 37.93% [25]. - In terms of regional consumption power, third-tier cities ranked first at 23.29%, followed by fourth-tier and second-tier cities at 21.03% and 19.25% respectively [28]. Social Media Index - The social media index reflects the drama's influence among KOLs and the engagement metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and saves [37]. - In April 2025, 294 short dramas entered the star map daily ranking, with only 3 dramas accumulating a social media index exceeding one million, indicating a decrease from March [38]. Original Playback Data - The number of accounts increased from 1,399 to 1,788, a growth of 27.81% - The number of short dramas published decreased from 16,002 to 14,666, a decline of 8.35% [44][45].