Core Insights - The horizontal short drama segment is facing significant challenges due to competition from vertical short dramas and the transformation of long dramas towards faster-paced, emotionally charged content [2][3][30] - Despite high investments in productions, the performance of recent horizontal short dramas has not met expectations, with many failing to achieve the success of previous hits [6][9][34] Group 1: Market Performance - Recent horizontal short dramas like "Zhuque Hall" and "Parrot" have seen disappointing financial results, with "Zhuque Hall" generating only 10 million yuan on Tencent and 5 million yuan on iQIYI, totaling 15 million yuan [6][9] - The highest grossing horizontal short drama in the first half of 2023, "Duoqu," earned 15 million yuan, significantly lower than the previous year's top performers which exceeded 30 million yuan [3][6] Group 2: Industry Dynamics - The horizontal short drama format is increasingly squeezed between the rapid growth of vertical short dramas and the evolving landscape of long dramas, leading to a challenging survival situation [2][3][30] - The shift towards male-oriented content in horizontal short dramas is seen as a potential new avenue for growth, with titles like "Lion City Mountain Sea" and "Zhuque Hall" targeting male audiences [10][12][15] Group 3: Content and Production Trends - High production costs are not translating into higher revenues, with significant investments in productions like "Zhuque Hall" (over 40 million yuan) and "Lion City Mountain Sea" (over 100 million yuan) failing to yield blockbuster results [6][9] - The content landscape is evolving, with horizontal short dramas needing to adapt to higher creative standards and competition from vertical formats, which have raised the bar for storytelling and production quality [9][34] Group 4: Future Outlook - Industry experts suggest that horizontal short dramas may find new opportunities by exploring male-oriented themes and leveraging existing audience bases from previous successful formats [10][15][34] - The ongoing competition between platforms and the rise of vertical short dramas may lead to a reshaping of the horizontal short drama market, potentially allowing for innovative content strategies and collaborations [26][30][35]