Shanghai, June 23, 2026 — RisingJoy co-hosted a landmark forum at the Shanghai TV Festival, bringing together policymakers, platform leaders, analysts, and creators for an in-depth conversation on the global micro-drama industry. The event also marked the official launch of RJOY, RisingJoy's flagship content brand.
The forum, titled "From Micro to Macro: Market Trends and Ecosystem Building in Global Micro-Drama," was organized by the Shanghai Network Audiovisual Industry Association and co-organized by the Lingang New Area Administrative Committee and RisingJoy. Held inside the main venue of the Shanghai TV Festival, the event drew a diverse audience of industry veterans and new entrants alike.
A market in motion
In his opening remarks, a senior official from the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism highlighted the sector's explosive growth, citing data from the China Micro-Drama Industry White Paper (2025): China's overseas micro-drama market surpassed USD 1.5 billion in the first eight months of 2025, nearly tripling year-on-year.
The message was clear — the opportunity is real, but capturing it requires collective effort.
RisingJoy's bet: quality and localization
Cassandra Yang, Co-Founder and CEO of RisingJoy, took the stage to share the company's approach to premium content for global markets. Against the backdrop of rapid industry expansion and intensifying competition, her message was straightforward: the path forward lies in doing fewer things better — doubling down on content quality and getting localization right.
"Quality always wins over quantity," Yang said. "In a market that's chasing scale, our bet is on craftsmanship and cultural precision."
Three perspectives, one conclusion
The forum's centerpiece was a roundtable discussion featuring:
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Marianne Lee, Chief Content Officer, VIU
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Tanveer Ali, Business Director, Dashreels
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Cassandra Yang, CEO, RisingJoy
Moderated by the organizing committee, the panel tackled platform strategy, audience preferences, and cross-border collaboration across global markets. The conversation spanned operational realities and market ambitions, arriving at a shared consensus: cross-border collaboration is no longer a choice — it is the defining requirement for the industry's next phase.
Data, recognition, and a growing ecosystem
Myat Pan Phyu, an analyst from Media Partners Asia, presented data-driven forecasts on the global micro-drama market in 2026, offering macro-level direction for companies navigating international expansion.
Michael McKay, Co-Founder and President of the Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA), introduced the newly launched AACA Best Micro-Drama Award — the first major international award category dedicated to micro-drama — creating a global platform to recognize excellence in vertical storytelling.
What RisingJoy believes
In her closing remarks, Yang reinforced RisingJoy's conviction: the next chapter of micro-drama will not be written by any single company or country. It will require policy support, local partnerships, technological iteration, and creators willing to invest in quality.
"Micro-drama is no longer a niche category," Yang said. "Within five years, it will become a global content supply chain occupying a mainstream position. We want to serve as a bridge and a gathering point — helping the industry walk further, together."